1    rJL# 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

Purchased  as  the  gift  of 

THE  FRIENDS 

OF  THE 
BANCROFT  LIBRARY 


MONOGRAPH: 


A     PLEA     FOR     BIBLIOMANIA, 


v 


ROOKLYX    LITI:K\RT   if  A  A. 
Literary   men   are   rarely   found  In  political 
offices,  but  Brooklyn  has  luui 
County  Clerk'*  office  an  author  in  the  p. 
Daniel  M.  TrcdwoJl.    He  has  ' 
plaue  for  over  thirty  ye*  ,  t  a  Dickens 

<•>'.  to  be  s.>. 

to  the  lovers  of  books  th  built  In  the 

trashy  lines  o/  tin- 

Onoof  hla  most  famil:  Mono- 

graph  ou  Prlvatfcl;, 

tiu.s  eridi 

leuvor  lo  K 
account  u:  _iy  }>llfrrlm- 


MONOGRAPH 


ON 


PRIVATELY-ILLUSTRATED 

BOOKS. 

A  PLEA  FOR  BIBLIOMANIA. 

BY 

DANIEL     M.     TREDWELL. 


BROOKLYN : 
FRED.  TREDWELL,  9  BOERUM    PLACE, 

1882. 


COPYRIGHT,  1881, 

BY 
FBKU.  TKEDWELL,  BROOKLYN. 


Tro-.v"  ; 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 
201-213  f-asf  l*fk  Strtct 

NEW  YORK 


Gentlemen  of  the  Rembrandt  Club  : 

I  HE  invitation  which   has  brought 
me  before  you  this  evening  in  the 
capacity  of   essayist  was  to  give 
my   Experience    in    the   Seductive 
Art  of  Pr  irately  Illustrating  Books.1 

1  Probably  no  man  ever  lived  who  has  done  more  to  stim- 
ulate this  department  of  art  than  he  whose  name  has  been 
assumed  by  this  Club. 

A  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  the  Prints  of  Rembrandt,  by 
an  Amateur,  1836,  has  been  illustrated  by  inserting  Rem- 
brandt's own  works. 

Rembrandt  and  his  Works,  by  Burnet,  1859,  has  been 
many  times  illustrated. 

One  of  the  first  privately-illustrated  books  I  remember 
ever  having  seen,  was  a  Dutch  book  about  Rembrandt,  by 
Immerzeel  or  Nagler.  It  was  illustrated  by  reproduced  and 
some  original  works  of  Rembrandt.  This  I  saw  at  Nunan's, 
in  Nassau  street,  New  York,  about  thirty  years  ago. 

Nor  can  it  be  otherwise,  than  that  there  should  be  a  great 
desire  to  possess  works  so  desirable,  not  only  as  works  of  art, 
but  also  for  their  great  commercial  value. 

Passing  over  the  loo-guilder  print  of  Rembrandt,  which 
at  its  last  sale  fetched  nearly  $6,000  ;  "  One  of  the  next  best 
evidences  of  the  effect  of  a  man's  culture  upon  the  age,  is 
the  money  value  which  attaches  to  his  works.  The  most 
wonderful  instance  of  this  is  Rembrandt's  '  Sleeping  Dog,' 


One  prefatory  word,  therefore,  as  to  per- 
sonal  experiences ;  for,  although  I  am  not  so 
daintily  endowed  as  to  be  deemed  axiomatic- 
ally  modest,  nor  so  apathetic  of  praise  as  t<> 
be  indifferent  to  applause,  still.  I  have  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  insignificant  space  occupied 
by  the  pronoun  "  I  "  in  the  Knglish  Dictionary, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  usual  obtrusive 
and  ostentatious  pretences  of  the  first  person 
singular,  notwithstanding  I  )es  Cartes  has  made 
it  the  column  around  which  he  has  fabricated 
his  ;_  >tem  of  philosophy:  Cogito,  ergo 

siun,  and  nothing  el>< 

And  to  present  to  you  the  starved  and 
meagre  compend,  the  individual  gleanings 
merely  of  a  great  subject,  while  the  broader, 
more  fertile,  and  more  cultivated  fields  of 
equally  easy  ace-  >nd  the  personal  do- 

main  are  inviting  us  to  the  harvest,  would  be 
an  injustice  to  you  and  a  parade  of  indefens- 
ible conceit  in  i; 

There  is  a  natural  egotism  or  self-glorifica- 


sketched  in  the  corner  of  a  plate,  measuring  about  four 
inches  and  a  quarter  widi  .md  a  half  hi^h,  and 

afterwards  cut  down  to  three  and  a  quarter  by  one  and  a 
half  inches.  Only  one  in  h  known,  which  was 

sold  at  Mr.  Hibbert's  sale,  1809,  for  $7. 50.  The  Duke  of 
Buckingham  subsequently  obtained  it  for  $30.  At  his  sale  in 
1834  it  brought  $305,  and  in  1841  the  British  Museum  paid 
$600  for  it — a  little  over  $130  per  square  inch." — Hammer- 
ton,  Etching  and  Etchers,  p.  01. 


Mover's  Cur.v '.  ex  .1   -,  ,-J 


tion  in  the  relation  of  one's  own  achievements, 
even  when  never  so  modestly  told.  And 
more  especially  is  this  true  in  the  present 
case,  where  the  individual  achievements  are 
dwarfed  by  comparison  with  and  proximity  to 
the  grander  and  more  princely  productions  of 
the  more  cultured  and  more  favored  by  for- 
tune. 

Not  that  I  would  in  the  least  degree  discour- 
age modest  individual  effort,  nor  a  j  ust  and  em- 
ulous pride  in  one's  own  productions,  however 
unpretentious  ;  for  the  pleasure  is  no  less  keen 
(indeed,  it  is  probably  much  keener)  with  the 
humble  devotee  than  with  those  more  bounti- 
fully endowed  with  the  omnipotent  dollar. 
There  is  at  least  one  wholesome  truth  pervad- 
ing all  human  endeavor  after  happiness;  it  is 
that  the  racy  enjoyments  of  this  life  are  those 
enjoyments  in  the  attainment  of  which  there 
have  been  ;>n  exertion  and  a  force  expended. 
The  pleasure  derived  from  this  consecrated 
energy,  which  so  enhances  the  achievement 
of  the  book  lover,  cannot  be  bought  with 
money ;  to  him  his  achievement  is  not  mere 
property — it  is  a  laurel  wreath  of  victory. 
"And  bind  it  upon  the  plough,"  said  Pliny. 

One  of  the  great  reasons  why  the  garrulous 
Dibdin's  riotings  among  rare  and  valuable 
books  are,  after  all,  so  devoid  of  genuine  in- 


terest  to  the  real  lover,  is  that  he  occupied 
himself,  to  a  great  degree,  in  catering  for  men 
with  measureless  purses;  hence  the  patrician 
odor  of  "plush  linings,"  "crushed  levant," 
"spotless  India  proof  before  letter,"  and  edi- 
tions "  dc  luxe"  rather  than  the  more  plebeian 
smell  of  "old  book  stalls,"  "cellars"  and 
"hogskin." 

More  celebrity  has  attached  to  the  finder 
of  an  entombed  literary  nugget,  amid  the  ac- 
cumulated dust  and  filth  of  ages  (which 
nothing  short  of  the  keenness  of  scent,  the 
lateir  :ty,  of  the  persistent  "book- 

hunter"  would  ever  have  brought  to  the 
light  of  day i  than  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  all 
that  could  be  bought  with  the  wealth  of 
Croesus.  The  works  of  Aristotle,  which  have 
had  more  influence  on  the  human  mind  than 
any  other  writings  in  existence,  owe  their  dis- 
covery— after  having  been  lost  two  hundred 
years — to  an  old  book  collector  named  Apel- 
licon,  who  will  never  be  forgotten  while  Aris- 
totle lasts.  The  priceless  volumes  of  Quin- 
tilian,  rotten  with  damp,  amid  filth  and  dirt, 
were  unearthed  by  Poggio,  equally  immortal. 
The  commentaries  and  orations  of  Cicero 
were  found  under  similar  circumstances,  be- 
grimed, corroded  and  soiled.  This  is  also  true 


—  6  — 

And  I  might  animadvert  upon  the  gems 
which  have  been  resurrected  by  the  book- 
hunter  from  the  basement  of  William  Gowans, 
in  Nassau  street,  New  York.  Gowans  had  the 
largest  collection  of  books  in  the  world  of  its 
kind,1  and  some  of  these  restored  books,  in 
princely  wardrobes,  are  now  the  pride  of  the 
Lenox  Library. 

But  all  this  is  merely  introductory;  we  deal 
this  evening  with  a  more  special  phase  of  the 
book  malady. 

Why  I  should  have  been  selected  for  this 
work,  in  the  presence  of  connoisseurs  and 
men  of  superior  attainment  and  experience 
in  this  department  of  art,  is  more  than  I  am 
able  to  determine.  I  know  of  no  commend- 
able qualification  of  my  own,  unless  it  be  an 
almost  boundless  enthusiasm. 

There  i>  a  saying  of  Buffon  which  has  been 
a  wonderful  solace  to  me,  and  I  repeat  it  for 
the  benefit  of  all  whom  it  may  concern : 

enemies,  Chapter  II.  to  \Vater,  Chapter  III.  to  Gas  and 

Heat,    Chapter   IV.    to   Dust   and    Nq  ,Her  V.   to 

Ignorance,  Chapter  VI.  t»  The  I'XM.K  -cr  VII.  to 

Vermin,  Chapter  VIII.  to  Bookbinders,  Chapter  IX. 

ith  all  these  and  many  other  enemies,  is  it 

at  all  surprising  that  whole  editions  have  passed  into  the 

realms  of  the  unknou.\: 

1 1  ne  Catalogue  of  this  collection,  which  was  sold  in  1871, 
•was  contained  in  sixteen  pans,  occupying  2,476  pages  of 
closely-printed  matter.  There  were  53,000  titles,  and  about 
130,000  Vols. 


—  7  — 

"  I  would  give  nothing,"  said  he,  "  for  a 
young  man  who  did  not  begin  life  with  an  en- 
thusiasm of  some  kind  ;  it  shows,  at  least,  that 
he  had  faith  in  something  good,  lofty  and 
generous  from  his  own  standpoint." 

And  I  think  it  was  Lord  Brougham  who 
said,  "  Blessed  is  the  man  who  has  a  hobby." 

My  own  illustrated  books  are  all  of  a  very 
humble  character  indeed.  All  small  and  un- 
pretentious, there  are  no  towering  folios 
among  them — no  unique  editions,  no  What- 
man drawing-paper.  Nor  did  it  ever  occur 
to  me,  in  building  them  up,  that  I  was  per- 
forming more  than  a  purely  selfish  act,  or 
anything  worthy  of  the  least  public  atten- 
tion. I  have  felt  rather  ashamed  than  exalted 
by  my  weakness. 

I  shall,  therefore,  in  this  essay,  lay  before 
you — 

First — Very  briefly  indeed,  the  account  of 
my  life's  experience  in  this  department  of 
art. 

Secondly — Illustrations  of  the  process  of 
this  unique  book-making. 

Thirdly — The  names,  attainment,  career 
(and  nature  of  the  work)  of  the  most  accom- 
plished men  who  have  fallen  victims  to  this 
infatuation. 

Our  theme,  then,  must  be  Illustrated  Copies. 


—  8  — 

in  the  concrete,  their  styles  and  their  growth. 
No  matter  how  severely  tempted  we  may  be  to 
enter  the  domain  of  Elzevirs,  Aldines,  Baskcr- 
villes,  Pickerings,  Chiswicks,  Black-Letter, Vel- 
lum, First  Editions,  Large  paper,  Privately- 
printed  and  Uncut  Copies,  by  the  terms  of  our 
invitation  we  are  forbid  the  indulgence  of  this 
unique  luxury.  We  are  also  interdicted  the 
princely  libraries  of  our  esteemed  citizens, 
Hon.  Henry  C.  Murphy,  on  American  Colo- 
nial History;  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  on  Early 
Voyages,  Travels  and  Geography ;  the  now 
dispersed  collection  of  Thos.  \Y.  Field,  on 
the  Ethnology  of  the  Aboriginal  Americans;1 


1  Delay's  r.rand  Collection  of  Voyages  are,  as  every  one 
knows,  excessively  rare  in  a  perfect  SMe.  The  set  of"  Mr. 
Field  was  the  most  perfect  ever  sold  in  America.  The 
editor  of  Mr.  Kiel-:  italogue  (Mr.  Sabin)  says 

"that  this  set  was  purchased  by  him  at  the  sale  of  the  library 
of  the  late  Baron  de  Sobolewski,  of  Moscow,  in  1873, 
since  which  Mr.  Field  has  supplied  some  of  its  <i< 
It  now  lacks  only  two  leaves  in  the  letter-press  of  part  XIII. 
Mr.  Field  also  supplied  -many  plates  in  duplicate.  The 
publication  of  this  great  work  occupied  nearly  fifty  years.  The 
l>el>rys — father,  son,  ami  grandson — successively  wrought 
upon  this  work,  which  was  completed  to  and  including  the 
thirteenth  part,  which  last  is  the  rarest  ol  all.  A  book 
collector  of  Brooklyn,  the  most  persistent"  in  America,  has 
for  twenty-five  years  vainly  sought  for  this  thirteenth  part." 

There  was  also  in  this  collection  Lord  Kingsborough's 
Antiquities  of  Mexico — one  of  the  few  with  colored  plates. 
It  was  published  at  $875. 

There  were  also  eleven  numbers  of  the  Elliot  Tracts. 
Very  rare. 

Of  the  Las  Casas  Tracts  there  were  eight  numbers,  and 
about  sixty  of  the  later  Indian  Missions  and  Tracts  costing 
from  $70  to  $150  each. 


c. 


-9- 

of  Whitman  W.  Kenyon  (President-elect  of 
this  Association),  on  Art  and  Art  Culture; 
Dr.  Charles  E.  West,  on  Icelandic  and  Anglo- 
Saxon  Literature ;  Mr.  Havemeyer,  on  Gen- 
eral History  and  Political  Economy;  The 
Antiquarian  and  Anthropological  Collection 
of  Hon.  E.  G.  Squier,  all  of  which  have  no 
status  under  our  title;  and,  although  I  much 
regret  the  drawing-in  of  our  lines,  yet  it  must 
be  confessed  that  the  field,  even  thus  con- 
tracted, is  quite  broad  enough  upon  which  to 
discuss  the  ethics  of  our  subject.  No  greater 
inspiration  is  necessary  to  an  unsullied  moral 
life  than  a  full  and  absolute  fellowship  with 
an  illustrated  copy,  full  bound,  by  Matthews, 
in  crushed  levant,  of  Boswell's  Johnson,  or  of 
Walton's  Complete  Angler  —  two  books  of 
noble  moral  repute,  and  which  take  to  illus- 
trations more  naturally  than  any  other  two 
books  in  the  English  language. 

The  Grolier  ornamentation,  the  watered  silk 
linings,  the  spotless  leaves,  the  amplitude  of 
margins,  the  clean,  sharp-cut  typography,  the 
charming  and  seductive  manner  in  which  the 
skill  of  an  expert  has  arranged  the  choicest 
specimens  in  India  proof  of  the  engraver's 
art  ;  leaf  succeeding  leaf,  of  the  most  exquisite 
portraits  by  Longhi,  Nanteuil,  Morghen, 
Houbraken,  Strange,  and  Faithorne  muse 
broaden  the  latitude  of  humanity. 


—  10  — 

I  believe  "  a  companionship  of  art,  whether 
tterance  is  in  sound,  or  in  word,  or  in 
form,  is  a  noble  and  moral   association  ;   its 
culture  penetrates  and  mingles  in  the  yen- 
currents  of  our  blood." 

nd,  notwithstanding  all  t  '.1  regret 

that   I  must  take   the  circumscribed  path  of 
the  t.  and   turn  my  back    upon   the 

broad  road  which  leads  me  to  the  glorious 
uncut  c<  Villiam  Jones.  \Vilki: 

I)c    Bry.  or  the 
•us    volumes   of    L'Art, 

which  rise  up  in  all  their  rough,  half-Roxburg 
majesty  before  me. 

But  our  mission  here  is  monographic.     \Ve 

do  not  come  as  idol?.tr<  pies  of    the 

honest    old    James   Granger,    the    Vicar    of 

Shiplakt  haye    been    redeemed    from 

>kmadness."  and   are   inexorable  in   our 

1  The  first  book  ever  i'lustrated  was  by  James  Granger.    It 

•.  ranger's  Biographical  i  Kngland,  from  Egbert 

the  Great,  and  was  first  published  in   1769 — quarto,  in  2 

has   since  undergone  four  impressions,  the  last 

being  in   1804 — octavo,  in  4  vols.     A    continuation   of  the 

same  !e,  was  published   in   I §07,  in  3 

that  if  the  lover  of  rare  and  curious  prints  gets 

possession    of    these    volumes,  with    Ames'   Catalogue   of 

English  Heads,  1745  ;  Walpole's  Catalogue  of  Engravings, 

Burnley's  Catalogue  of  Engraved    Portraits,    1793. 

with  Catalogues  of  the  Collections  of  Mr.  Barnard    > 

..-rave,  Mr.  Tysson,  Sir  James  Winter  Lake,  and  a 
little  work— the  Print  Collector— edited  by  Robert  Hoe,  Jr., 
of  New  York,  iSSo,  he  has  put  himself  in  the  way  of 'be- 
coming a  print  collector. 


nss. 


—  II  — 

resolve  to  buy  no  more  books,  even  though 
we  die  broken-hearted.  But  humanity  is 
weak ;  for — 

"  Five  hundred  times  at  least,  I've  said, 
My  wife  assures  me,  '  I  would  never 

Buy  more  old  books.'     Vet  lists  are  made, 
And  shelves  are  lumbered  more  than  ever. 

Oh  !  that  our  wives  could  only  see, 
How  well  the  money  is  invested 

In  these  old  books,  which  seem  to  be 
By  them,  alas  !  so  much  detested." 

Nearly  forty  years  ago,  I  began  amusing  my- 
self with  books  by  adding  an  occasional  print. 
Private  illustrating  was  almost  an  unknown 
passion  in  this  country  at  that  time.  What 
I  mean  by  privately-illustrated  books  is 
books  in  which  prints  are  inserted  which  do 
not  belong  to  the  book,  but  which  are  perti- 
nent to  the  subject  treated.  Under  this 
method, 

"  Sometimes  the  pictures  for  the  page  atone, 
And  the  text  is  saved  by  beauties  not  its  own." 

My  first  illustrated  book,  was  Giraud's 
Birds  of  Long  Island,  a  work  somewhat  dis- 
tinguished for  its  scientific  accuracy,  for  the 
materials  of  which  I  dismembered  the  rare 
and  splendid  quarto  volume  belonging  to  the 
Natural  History  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
For  this  piece  of  vandalism  I  have  never 


—  12  — 

forgiven  myself.  This  was  my-  first  little 
folly.  I  have  committed  many  and  greater 
since :  nor  is  that  man  an  orthodox  collector, 
or  a  true  bibliophile,  who  has  not  at  some 
time  committed  a  great  and  foolish  extrava- 
gance. There  are  one  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  prints  inserted  in  the  text  of  this 
book,  which  is  only  a  common  octavo,  pub- 
lished by  Wiley  &  Putnam  in  1844.  It  is 
now  very  rare.  Few  persons  in  this  room 
have  ever  seen  it.  Hut,  howev  the 

folly  in  destroying  so  valuable  a  book  for  so 
^nificant  a  one,  the  knowledge  incident- 
ally acquired  in  the  science  of  Ornithology 
while  engaged  upon  it  was  most  thorough, 
and  was,  maybe,  a  full,  or  more  than  a  full, 
compensation  for  the  mischief  otherwise  done. 
I  have  never  been  proud  of  the  book,  and 
seldom  show  it ;  for  no  man  of  culture,  especi- 
ally if  he  be  a  naturalist,  fails  to  reprove  me 
for  this  act — so  similar  to  that  of  the  foolish 
old  lady  who  cut  up  a  new  garment  to  mend 
an  old  one.  And  I  have  no  doubt  some  who 
have  seen  it,  and  whose  excessive  good  breed- 
ing restrained  them  from  outward  demon- 
stration, have  inwardly  applied  to  me  the 
words  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  to  his  little  dog 
Diamond,  who,  during  his  absence  from  his 
study,  threw  down  a  lighted  candle  among 





—  13  — 

his  papers  and  destroyed  the  labor  of  years 
of  the  great  philosopher.  "  O  Diamond ! 
Diamond !  thou  little  knowest  the  mischief 
thou  hast  done." 

My  last  book,  which  is  still  unfinished,  is  a 
large  paper  copy  of  Dr.  Henry  R.  Stiles' 
History  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn.  It  was 
commenced  twenty  years  ago.  A  great 
number  of  the  prints  were  collected  before 
the  work  issued  from  the  press.  Although 
elegance  has  by  no  means  been  neglected  in 
the  ensemble  of  this  book,  beauty  was  not  the 
great  prime  object  in  view,  but  the  preserv- 
ation of  perishable  and  perishing  material 
of  value  relating  to  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  I 
have  added  to  the  original  work  about  two 
thousand  three  hundred  pages  of  various 
kinds  of  matter  and  decorations,  mostly  por- 
traits and  prints  of  old  historical  landmarks. 
There  are  seven  hundred  and  eighty  prints, 
two  hundred  and  sixty  pages  of  new  matter 
'in  manuscript,  sixty  photographs,  fifty-one 
old  maps  (some  of  them  unique),  twenty-two 
original  sketches  and  water-colors,  besides 
Original  letters,  etc.  The  original  three 
volumes  have  been  extended  thus  far  to 
nine.  The  cost  of  the  work  up  to  the  present 
cannot  be  much  under  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  an  approximation  to  the  number  of 


—  14  — 

shekels  it  would  take  to  ransom  it  under  the 
methods  of  Bangs,  Merwin  &  Co.,  providing 
there  is  no  greater  public  appreciation  of  my 
labor  than  of  Dr.  Stiles',  in  its  original  pro- 
duction, would  be  about  one-twentieth  of  the 
cost  in  labor  and  money  which  have  been  be- 
stowed upon  it.  During  this  interval — thirty- 
odd  years  from  the  production  of  my  first  il- 
lustrated book  and  the  present — I  have  done 
more  or  less  illustrating,  probably  sixty  works 
in  all,  or  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  vol- 
umes, although  a  catalogue  of  the  books  in  my 
library,  which  have  more  or  less  undergone 
this  process  of  mutilation,  would  possibly 
exceed  three  hundred. 

If  I  may  be  permitted,  without  taxing  your 
patience  too  much  with  personal  relations, 
I  should  say  that  my  love  of  books  was 
divided  between  the  mere  love  of  having 
them  and  the  love  of  using  them  ;  hence  my 
passion  for  illustrated  books  (which,  as  a 
general  thing,  are  useless  for  study)  took 
such  direction  as  led  to  making  them  of  more 
actual  service,  and  more  cyclopaedic  in  their 
character:  consequently  my  love  passed,  by 
gradations,  out  of  the  pure  artistic  into  the 
scientific. 

The  love  of  book  illustrating  is  an  absorb- 
ing, fervid  passion,  indigenous  to  high  emo- 


-    • 


T3»JJTHTJM  *.7TJ«Jia  2ES  BUC.  nrSTmJTS  OT 


tional  temperatures,  and  hence  cannot  thrive 
in  the  bleak  and  nipping  atmosphere  of 
science.  It  required  too  much  artificial 
warmth,  too  much  hot-house  nurture,  for 
healthy  progress  under  my  amateur  methods 
in  science  ;  and,  finally,  it  died  out  altogether. 
It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  mention  a  few 
examples  in  this  department,  marking  the 
stages  of  decline  and  surrender  of  a  love  for 
art,  to  science,  a  capitulation  of  I  hirer,  Rem- 
brandt, Hollar,  Stothard,  and  Durand,  to 
Darwin,  Huxley,  Tyndall,  Wallace,  Comte, 
and  Spencer. 

Among  the  books  illustrated  by  me,  which 
mark  the  decline — the  transition — are  Petti- 
grew's  1  listory  of  the  Egyptian  Mummy,  large 
paper  ;  this  is  a  large  quarto,  and  an  admirable 
book;  Ancient  Symbol  Worship,  Phallic  Idea 
in  the  Religion  of  Antiquity,  a  rare  and  ex 
pensive  work  ;  Taylor's  Bacchus  and  Eleu- 
sinian  Mysteries,  illustrated  by  a  few 
prints,  all  proof ;  Squier's  Serpent  Symbol  in 
America,  octavo,  a  very  scarce  book,  and 
indulgently  illustrated ;  Cabrera's  Ruins  of 
an  Ancient  City  near  Palenque,  Central 
America;  Dyer's  Pompeii,  illustrated  en- 
tirely with  photographs  taken  under  my  own 
direction,  quarto.  There  is  among  illustra- 
tors a  strong  prejudice  against  photographs, 


— 16  — 

and  they  certainly  are  not  the  most  desirable 
illustrations  for  books,  for  the  reasons — first : 
Their  liability  to  fade ;  secondly,  they  are 
not  works  of  art.  But,  when  faithful  repre- 
sentation is  the  great  object  to  be  obtained, 
the  photograph  is  invaluable.  This  book  of 
Dyer  was  illustrated  sixteen  years  ago,  with 
photographs  taken  by  a  Neapolitan  operator, 
and  inlaid  through  a  special  and  ingenious 
process  by  Toedteberg.  They  are  as  fresh 
and  sharp  to-day  as  when  first  inserted  in  the 
book.  And  this  is  also  true  of  several  books 
in  my  collection,  illustrated  entirely  with 
photographs  taken  in  Europe.  Under  no 
consideration  do  I  think  it  desirable,  how- 
ever, to  illustrate  the  same  book  with  a 
mixture  of  engravings  and  photographs. 
Nor  do  I  deem  it  the  highest  taste  to  illus- 
trate the  same  book  with  engravings,  draw- 
ings, and  original  sketches,  unless  it  be  as 
specimens  of  work  from  the  hands  of  the  same 
artist.  The  most  elegant  books  are  those 
uniformly  illustrated  in  the  same  style  of  art. 
And  now  having  finished  our  chapter  of 
egoisms,  we  will  pass  on  to  Illustrated  Books, 
Illuminated  Palaces,  and  the  methods  of  their 
construction.  There  are  no  general  rules,  no 
formulas,  no  beaten  paths  in  this  department 
of  art — taste  and  genius  are  its  only  guides. 


Suppose  we  are  in  possession  of  a  book 
privately  printed,  the  edition  being  limited 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  an  octavo  printed 
on  Holland  paper,  and  unbound,  in  sheets.  It 
'is  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Edward  Everett. 
Before  sending  to  the  binder,  it  occurs 
to  us  that  it  would  be  interesting  ami  eir 
hance  its  value  to  have  a  faithful  portrait 
of  Edward  Everett  as  a  frontispiece — a  con- 
tribution from  our  own  hands — a  testimo- 
nial of  our  regard  for  this  accomplished 
gentleman  and  scholar.  After  a  little  search 
in  print  stores,  we  find  one,  a  head  and  bust 
(very  good)  engraved  by  Cheney.  It  does 
not,  however,  stand  the  test  of  our  criticism, 
and  we  determine  upon  further  search  for 
another.  \Ye  finally  obtain  one  by  Parker, 
and  another  by  Jackman.  We  are  by  this 
time  becoming  interested  in  the  pursuit,  and 
beginning  to  feel  that  we  are  no  longer 
amateurs  in  our  knowledge  of  engravers  and 
their  works.  \Ve  continue  our  search,  and 
find  another  portrait  by  Pelton  (a  poor  one) ; 
then  another  by  Smith — the  last  a  folio  ; 
then  another  fine  impression  of  a  beautiful 
unfinished  portrait  of  Edward  Everett  in 
his  youth,  by  Gilbert  C.  Stuart.  So  we  go 
on  getting  prints,  and  acquiring  knowledge 
of  engravings  and  engravers,  developing  un- 


— 18  — 

consciously  an  enthusiasm  for  our  work,  until 
we  have  twenty-seven  engraved  portraits  of 
Edward  Everett,  illustrating  his  life  from  the 
age  of  sixteen  to  sixty.  At  this  stage  of  our 
work  an  old  print  collector  calls  upon  us, 
and  politely  allows  us  to  look  over  his  small 
collection.  Fortuitously,  we  find  a  print  of 
the  birthplace  of  Everett,  and  also  one  of  his 
library  ;  these,  of  course,  we  must  have.  We 
also  find  one  of  his  uncle,  T.  \V.  Perkins, 
and  a  few  of  his  contemporaneous  literary 
friends,  all  mentioned  in  the  text  of  our 
book :  of  course  we  want  them,  and  we 
buy  them.  Our  collection  has  now  reached 
nty-five  prints  in  all,  and  has  cost  us  about 
twenty-five  dollars — an  enormous  sum  for  one 
book.  This  being  our  first  experience,  and 
not  familiar  with  the  perspective  of  the  sub- 
ject, we  begin  to  suspect  that  ruin  lurks  in  this 
book-illustrating,  and  we  resolve  upon  carry- 
ing the  folly  no  further.  In  another  week, 
however,  we  have  fairly  recovered  from  the 
last  extravagance,  and  with  the  old  passion 
revived  and  recruited,  we  enter  more  ex- 
tensively the  field  of  contemporaneous  liter- 
ary friends,  poets,  and  compatriots  of  our 
hero,  and  of  persons  mentioned  and  referred 
to  in  our  book.  Thus  we  go  on,  alternating 
between  this  alluring  mania  and  our  good 


—  T9— 

resolves,  until  we  have  collected  nearly  five 
hundred  prints,  at  an  expense  probably  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  dollars,  many  of  which 
prints  are  too  large,  others  too  small,  for  our 
book.  To  reduce  the  first  is  a  simple  pro- 
cess— to  extend  the  latter  is  our  first  real 
difficulty ;  but  it  must  be  overcome — they 
must  all  be  brought  to  a  uniform  size  with 
our  book.  For  this  service,  we  call  to  our  aid 
the  professional  man — the  inlayer — of  whom 
there  are  but  three  in  this  country  worthy  of 
mention — Messrs.  Trent,  Toedteberg,  and 
Lawrence,  all  of  Brooklyn.  The  work  turned 
out  by  these  gentlemen  is  of  the  first  order,  far 
superior  to  that  of  the  best  English  and  French 
inlayers.  We  call  upon  one  of  these  gentlemen 
with  our  prints,  and  lay  our  plans  before 
him.  He  being  busy,  we  are  advised  to  call 
again ;  in  the  meantime  he  will  look  over 
our  collection,  and  determine  the  best  course 
for  us  to  pursue.  We  call  again,  and  out  of 
our  five  hundred  prints  he  has  discarded  three 
hundred,  as  not  of  sufficient  pertinency  or 
worth  as  works  of  art,  to  enhance  either  the 
beauty  or  value  of  our  enterprise.  We  defer 
to  his  opinion,  and  more  than  half  our  pur- 
chase is  thrown  out.  Two  years'  more  ex- 
perience in  the  business,  and  we  defer  to  the 
opinion  of  no  man.  He  also  advises  us  that 


2O 


it  would  not  be  in  good  taste  to  cut  the 
large  prints  down  to  the  size  of  the  book,  but 
that  it  would  be  better  leaf  by  leaf  to  build 
the  book  up.  There  are  some  wood  cuts  of 
superior  quality  in  the  collection  taken  from 
illustrated  papers,  magazines,  etc.,  which  it 
would  be  desirable  to  preserve;  but  they 
have  printed  matter  on  the  back,  rendering 
them  inadmissible  in  their  present  state.  He 
informs  us  that  he  is  acquainted  with  a  process 
by  which  he  can  split  the  sheets  of  news- 
paper, and  take  the  print  (text)  from  the 
back.  Again,  some  of  our  prints  are  "  foxy  " — 
that  is,  spotted,  soiled,  and  must  be  cleaned  to 
make  first-class  work ;  all  of  which  we  con- 
clude to  have  done,  and  which  entails  an  ex- 
pense of  about  ninety  dollars. 

The  process  mentioned  of  inlaying  the 
text  and  prints  may  be  briefly  described, 
as  follows :  first  is  the  selection  of  paper  of 
the  proper  quality,  and  the  size  to  which  our 
book  is  to  be  extended.  The  leaves  of  the 
book  being  of  uniform  size,  the  inlaying  of  it 
(that  is,  the  text)  is,  of  course,  a  simple  repe- 
tition of  the  operation  as  many  times  as  there 
are  leaves  in  the  volume.  Not  so,  how- 
ever, with  the  prints;  no  two  are  probably 
of  the  same  size  or  shape — square,  oblong, 
round,  oval,  and  some  irregular — thus  every 


—  21  — 

print  requires  its  especial  treatment.  Af- 
ter the  prints  have  been  neatly  cut  down  to 
their  required  shapes,  then  the  outer  edges 
are  bevelled,  the  bevel  extending  about 
one-quarter  of  an  inch  upon  the  margin  of 
the  print.  This  is  performed  with  a  knife 
made  for  the  purpose.  An  opening  is  then 
cut  into  the  sheet  of  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  print,  jnaking  an  allowance  for  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  lap  on  the  inside,  which  is  also 
beveled  to  conform  with  the  print.  These 
outer  edges  are  then  fastened  together  with 
paste,  made  of  rice  flour.  Rice  paste  is  con- 
sidered more  desirable,  for  the  reason  that  it 
retains  its  whiteness  when  dry.  They  are 
then  placed  under  gentle  pressure  until  re- 
quired for  use.  The  splitting  process  is  per- 
formed by  pasting  the  sheet  to  be  split  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  stuff,  and  in  separating 
the  stuffs  one-half  adheres  to  each  side. 

In  about  six  weeks  we  receive  our  book 
and  prints,  built  up,  extended,  inlaid,  or 
cut  down  to  a  uniform  large  quarto.  No- 
thing can  exceed  its  beauty;  to  say  that 
we  are  proud  of  it,  does  in  no  sense  express 
our  emotion ;  it  is  our  realization  of  a  grand 
ideal.  Our  prints  must  now  be  placed  to  the 
text,  and  numbered  or  paged,  to  guard 
against  displacement  in  the  binding  process. 


—  22 — 

Here,  so  far  as  possible,  it  would  be  well  to 
observe  chronological  order  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  portraits.  A  harmony  as  to 
seasons  of  the  text — and  views  must  not  be 
disregarded — a  Summer  view,  and  a  Winter 
text,  are  incongruous.  It  is  also  preferable 
to  use  prints  which  were  engraved  contem- 
poraneously with  the  events  of  the  text ;  it 
gives  additional  interest,  as  well  as  historic 
value.  These  observations  apply  to  books 
like  our  Everett,  illustrated  entirely  by  por- 
traits and  views  already  extant,  and  which 
have  only  to  be  selected  ;  the  proper  his- 
torical arrangement  and  disposal  of  which, 
however,  require  no  ordinary  skill  in  even 
the  simplest  book.  Having  now  collated  our 
prints  and  text,  we  discover  that  we  have 
too  much  material  for  one  volume,  and  we 
determine  upon  having  it  bound  in  two. 
To  this  end  a  new  title-page  becomes 
necessary  for  the  additional  volume.  This 
can  either  be  printed  in  fac-simile,  or  made 
with  a  pen  and  ink  by  an  expert.  Of  this 
class  of  experts  my  acquaintance  is  limited 
to  one  representative  only — Mr.  Charles  B. 
King,  33  Perry  street,  New  York — who  will 
duplicate  a  title-page  or  copy  text  with  uner- 
ring exactness.  Obtaining  our  title-page,  our 
book  is  complete  and  ready  for  the  binder. 


ir.in  a  PicTurc  :  •  :jrii  HA. 

•he  rar*  Print  :  . 

?ut&>i*t  &  mm**  fu^iMffttf. 


—  23  — 

And  now,  notwithstanding  we  have  just 
cause  to  be  proud  of  our  accomplishment, 
let  us  not  suffer  the  notion  to  run  away 
with  us  that  we  have  mastered  the  science 
of  book -illustrating.  All  that  we  have 
accomplished  is  merely  elementary  —  the 
A,  B,  C  of  the  art — for  I  believe  the  higher 
attainments  are  never  properly  acquired, 
except  through  these  smaller  beginnings. 
Gentlemen  with  unlimited  means  within 
their  control  have  confessed  to  me  that  their 
mistake  was  in  commencing  with  Shakspearc, 
Boswell's  Johnson,  Dibdin,  or  Walton,  before 
they  had  mastered  the  elements.  There  are 
no  graduates,  and  no  degrees  conferred,  in  this 
school ;  the  field  is  as  broad  and  boundless  as 
contemporary  art  and  literature.  There  are 
books — proper  books  for  illustrating — which 
require  the  illustrator  who  has  the  boldness 
to  enter  the  realms  of  original  sketches  and 
drawings  to  comprehend  the  exploits  of  chiv- 
alry, the  fairy  legend,  the  solemn  allegory,  or 
the  science  of  antiquarian  research,  not  less 
than  the  author  himself.  He  must  have  all 
the  tenderness  of  Walton,  the  patriotism  of 
Washington,  brave  the  tempest  with  King 
Lear,  laugh  with  Cervantes  or  Rabelais, 
grieve  with  Thomas  a  Kempis  or  Jeremy 
Taylor,  toil  up  the  hill  of  science  with  New- 


—  24- 
ton,  Herschel,  Leibnitz,  Draper,  Proctor  and 
Lubbock — in  other  words,  he  must  have  a 
love  for  his  work,  without  which  it  cannot  rise 
above  a  mere  pretence,  a  picture-book,  a  soul- 
less mechanism.  And  even  with  books  in 
which  we  do  not  attempt  to  illustrate  these 
sentiments  or  emotions,  they  must  be  felt 
and  appreciated,  that  we  may  avoid  the 
violence  which,  through  ignorance,  we  might 
otherwise  commit. 

But  our  Everett  must  go  to  the  binder, 
in  the  selection  of  whom  care  must  be  ob- 
served ;  for  every  bookbinder  has  an  individu- 
ality and  a  method,  not  consistent  with  all 
classes  of  work  nor  with  all  tastes.  Neverthe- 
less, a  first-class  bookbinder  is  more  than  a 
mechanic — he  is  an  artist;  and  there  are 
men  who  have  immortalized  themselves  in 
the  bibliopegic  art,  as  Payne,  Dawson,  Her- 
ing,  Faulkner,  Mackinlay,  Lewis,  Bedford, 
Riviere  and  Zaehnsdorf,  in  England,  and  De- 
rome,  Bradel,  Niedree,  Duru,  Cape,  Lortic, 
Nodier,  Koehler  and  Bauzonnct  in  France ; 
and  we  have  some  in  America,  as  Matthews, 
Bradstreet,  Smith,  Macdonald,  Fawson  & 
Nicholson.  Not  all  the  violence  of  Rem- 
brandt, Hayden  or  Claude,  in  light  and  shad- 
ow,  excel  in  effect,  at  first  blush,  some  of  the 
marvelous  creations  in  the  art  of  bookbinding 


Ill   HOPE 'AX MAGAZINE. 


.  h?  I.SentU.  CcrnhUl . 


and  book  decoration  ;  and  there  was  a  period 
in  Europe  during  which  the  rage  for  fine  bind- 
ings reached  a  greater  pitch  of  absurdity  than 
it  ever  has  for  books  or  paintings — that  is, 
they  were  held  at  and  fetched  more  fabulous 
prices.1 

1  The  finest  specimen  of  bibliopegy  of  t!ie  eighteenth 
century,  the  masterpiece  of  Derome,  is  a  copy  cf  the  C'ontes 
de  La  Fontaine  (1762,  2  volumes,  8vo,  bound  in  citron  mo- 
rocco, with  compartments  in  colors,  representing  fruits  and 
flowers).  For  this  copy  M.  Brunei  paid  six  hundred  and 
seventy-five  francs,  at  the  B6doyere  sale.  It  was  bought  for 
seven  thousand  one  hundred  francs  at  his  own  sale,  by  Au- 
gustus Fontaine.  A  Bordeaux  book-collector  gave  ten  thou- 
sand francs  for  it,  and  afterwards  sold  it  to  an  American 
banker.  It  was  sent  to  auction  a  little  while  after,  and  sold 
for  thirteen  thousand  francs.  "SYe  shall  hear  from  it  again. 

I  \\  ill  give  a  few  examples  of  the  prices  realized  for  books 
at  the  Brunei,  Didot,  and  other  French  sales,  1878 — thanks 
to  their  bindings. 

Biblia  Lutetice  (1545,  2  volumes,  8vo),  three  thousand 
francs,  bound  by  Lortic.  It  brought  seventy-nine  francs  at 
a  subsequent  sale,  in  plain  garments. 

Xenophontis  Opera  (II.  Stephanus,  1581,  folio,  in  beau- 
tiful old  binding)  fetched  six  thousand  francs.  It  has  little 
or  no  value  in  ordinary  condition. 

TheSainte  Bible  (1707,  8  volumes,  small  I2mo,  bound  by 
Padeloup  in  citron  and  green  morocco),  fetched  two  thou- 
sand and  fifty  francs ;  another  copy,  bound  by  the  same, 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  francs,  while  a  plainly-bound 
copy  sold  for  five  hundred  and  fifty  francs. 

Hors  Beatiss  Uirginis  (small  8vo,  Aldus,  1497,  in  a  hand- 
some binding,  by  Trautz  Bauzonnet),  three  thousand  francs. 

Montaigne — Essais  (Paris,  1588,  8vo,  bound  in  morocco 
by  Du  Seuil),  four  thousand  francs. 

At  the  Turner  sale,  1878,  the  New  Testament  of  Migeot 
(1667,  2  volumes,  bound  by  Boyet),  fourteen  hundred  and 
thirty  francs. 

Moliere — CEuvres  (Paris,  1666,  2  volumes,  bound  by 
Trautz  Bauzonnet),  six  thousand  francs. 


—  26  — 


The  Controverses  des  Sexes  Masculin  et  Feminin  (Tou- 
louse, 1543,  bound  by  Neidree),  fifteen  hundred  francs. 

Les  Fais  et  Prouesses  du  Chevalier  Jason,  bound  by 
Raoul  Lefevre,  seven  thousand  six  hundred  francs. 

Le  Livre  Appele  Mandeville  (Lyon  Buyer,  1480,  bound 
by  Thibaron),  six  thousand  two  hundred  francs,  at  the  Tur 
nersale,  1878. 

Monstrelet  (Paris,  A  Verard,  no  date,  2  volumes,  bound 
by  Lortic),  thirty  thousand  five  hundred  francs.  The  same 
work,  in  vellum,  at  the  MacCarthy  sale  in  1817,  for  $300. 

The  Roman  de  la  Rose  (small  folio,  without  date  ;  in  mo- 
rocco, by  Cape),  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  francs.  Same  (in 
handsome  binding,  by  Trautz-Bauzonnet),  five  thousand 
£ve  hundred  francs.  Same  (Paris,  sumptuously  bound  by 
Lortic),  eight  thousand  francs.  The  highest  price  it  was 
ever  known  to  fetch  prior  to  1830  was  thirty  pounds  nine 
shillings. 

Lestrif  de  Fortune  (1477,  bound  by  Chambolle  Duru), 
twenty-one  thousand  five  hundred  francs. — Bibliomania  at 
tht  Ptisent  Day  in  Frame  and  England :  J.  llr.  Bouton% 
1880. 

In  the  South  Kensington  Museum  there  is  a  fine  collec- 
tion of  rubbings  from  ancient  bookbindings  presented  to 
the  Art  Library  by  Mr.  II.  S.  Richardson.  In  the  Prince 
Consort  Gallery  is  a  small  book  cover — probably  used  for  a 
Missal — of  gold,  with  translucent  enamels,  representing  the 
creation  of  Eve,  etc.,  which  is  said  to  have  been  the  prop- 
erty of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria.  The  price  paid  for  this 
beautiful  specimen  of  goldsmith  work  was  $3,500. — Cun- 
dallon  Bookbindings  (iSSl  :  London}. 

In  1872,  M.  Chambolle  Duru  brought  an  action  in  the 
Paris  Court  against  Count  de  Montbrison,  to  compel  the 
payment  of  the  following  bill :  Of  $480  for  binding  a  copy 
of  CEuvres  de  Bernard  de  Palissy,  in  a  single  volume  ;  $280 
for  Les  Faiences  de  Henri  II.,  also  in  one  volume.  The 
Count  thought  the  sura  excessive,  and  refused  to  pay.  The 
judges  appointed  Trautz  Bauzonnet  to  examine  the  work 
and  give  his  opinion.  He  reported  :  "I  think  the  charge 
for  this  labor,  both  manual  and  intellectual,  very  moderate. 
I  would  not  myself  undertake  to  do  it  for  the  price."  The 
tribunal  gave  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff  of  $760. 

A  curious  trial  has  lately  been  held  (1874)  at  the  Tribunal 
de  Commerce  de  la  Seine,  relative  to  an  Aldine  Horace. 
M.  Gromier,  a  bookseller  of  Bourg  (Ain\  purchased  in  a 
sale  with  some  other  books,  which  he  bought  for  a  trifle,  an 


Aldine  Horace,  dated  1509.  lie  placed  it  in  a  book-cover 
of  Grolier,  which  had  adorned  another  work,  and  priced  it 
in  his  catalogue  at  500  francs.  It  was  purchased  by  the 
Comte  de  Jonage.  M.  Bachelin-Deflorenne,  the  well-known 
buyer  of  old  and  curious  books,  applied  for  it  to  M.  Gro- 
mier,  who  referred  him  to  the  Comte  de  Jonage.  The  last 
expressed  his  willingness  to  part  with  it  at  the  price  of  2,200 
francs,  and  sent  M.  Bachelin-Deflorenne,  at  the  same  time, 
a  designation  of  the  book,  setting  forth  that  it  was  a  Hor- 
ace of  Aldus,  dated  1509,  in  a  Grolier  binding  of  red  mo- 
rocco, with  his  customary  inscription — "  Johannis  Grolieri  et 
Amicorum."  On  receipt  of  this  description,  the  bargain 
was  concluded  ;  but  when  it  was  once  in  his  possession,  M. 
Bachelin-Deflorenne  declared  that  his  employers  refused  to 
accent  the  volume  ;  that,  although  the  book  was  edited  by 
Aldus,  it  was  not  in  a  Grolier  binding  made  expressly  for 
Grolier,  and  that  the  book  had  never  belonged  to  Grolier. 
The  Comte  de  Jonage  persisted  in  his  demand  to  be  paid 
the  2,200  francs,  declaring  that  he  had  concealed  nothing 
from  his  purchaser  ;  that  the  description  which  he  had  sent 
M.  Buchelin-Deflorenne  was  perfectly  correct  ;  that  the 
Horace  edited  by  Aldus  in  1509  was  in  a  Grolier  binding, 
and  that  he  had  only  guaranteed  the  date  of  the  edition  and 
the  authenticity  of  the  binding,  and  that  M.  Bachelin-De- 
florenne, an  "expert"  himself,  must  have  well  known, 
from  I.eroux  De  Lincy's  catalogue  of  the  Grolier  library, 
that  the  only  edition  of  Horace  which  belonged  to  Grolier 
was  of  the  date  of  1527,  and  not  1509.  It  was  in  vain  that 
M.  Bachelin-Deflorenne  pleaded  it  was  not  likely  he  should 
have  given  the  Comte  de  Jonage  2,200  francs  for  a  made-up 
volume,  for  which  it  appeared  the  Count  had  paid  only  200 
francs.  The  tribunal  gave  the  following  judgment  :  "  That 
the  book  answers  the  description  furnished  by  the  Comte 
de  Jonage,  upon  which  the  bargain  was  concluded,  and  that 
if  the  defendant  pretends  that  he  should  have  had  a  book 
with  the  text  of  1509  and  primitive  binding,  the  error  is  his. 
In  his  profession  of  bookseller — and  especially  of  old  books 
— he  should  have  known  that  the  only  edition  of  Horace 
that  belonged  to  Grolier  was  that  of  1527  ;  that,  as  the  par- 
ties had  agreed  upon  the  price,  the  sale  was  good  ;  and  that, 
consequently,  the  defendant  is  sentenced  to  pay  the  2,200 
francs  claimed,  with  interest  and  costs  of  suit." — Am.  Bib* 
tiopolist. 


—  28  — 

Nor  are  bookbinders  always  indifferent  to 
the  contents  of  the  books  which  they  bind. 
A  few  years  ago  I  sent  a  privately-illustrated 
book  to  William  or  Robert  \V.  Smith  (I  have 
now  forgotten  which),  for  binding,  into  which 
I  had  inserted,  among  many  others,  a  por- 
trait of  Sam  Johnson.  The  text  called  for 
Sam  Johnson,  an  eccentric  dramatic  writer, 
born  in  Cheshire  in  1705.  But,  relying  en- 
tirely upon  the  index  of  the  book,  and  being 
ignorant  of  this  Cheshire  Sam,  I  had  inserted 
the  portrait  of  our  Sam  Johnson,  the  lexi- 
cographer, of  Litchficld,  bom  in  1709.  This 
was  an  unpardonable  blunder.  In  a  few 
weeks,  however,  I  received  a  parcel  contain- 
ing the  portrait  and  a  note  from  Mr.  Smith 
announcing,  in  an  exuberance  of  good-natured 
sarcasm,  that  I  was  "  probably  as  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  there  were  two  Sam  Johnsons 
as  that  this  was  the  wrong  one."  1 

The  most  grievous  of  all  the  evils  which 
we  are  called  upon  to  endure  at  the  hands  of 
the  bookbinder  is  the  great  length  of  time 

1  How  gratifying  this  vigilance  of  the  modern  binder, 
amid  the  indignities  perpetrated  upon  books  in  former  times 
— an  early  black-letter  fifteenth  century  quarto  on  Knight- 
hood labeled  "Tracts,"  or  a  translation  of  Virgil  "Ser- 
mons." The  Histories  of  Troy,  printed  by  Caxton,  still 
exists,  -with  "  Kracles  "  on  the  back  as  its  title.  The  words 
"  Miscellaneous  "  and  "Old  Pieces "  cover  many  an  inval- 
uable work. — Enemies  of  Books. 


SAMUEL  JOHNSON  L.LD. 

Xa \ .  AJXrp  o. Ob.I)  eefio.1784 . 


he  requires  in  which  to  complete  his  work, 
and  his  perfect  unconcern  at  all  our  solicita- 
tions for  expedition.  Should  we  send  our 
book  to  Bradstreet,  we  may  depend  upon  it 
being  returned  to  us  in  about  two  months. 
If  to  Pawson  &  Nicholson,  Philadelphia,  three 
months.  If  to  Robert  W.  Smith,  New  York, 
or  Macdonald,  Boston,  four  months.  If  to 
Matthews,  never  ! 

The  cost  of  binding  our  book  in  full 
crushed  levant — and  it  can  make  a  stately 
appearance  in  full  dress  only — will  be  about 
thirty-five  dollars  per  volume,  or  seventy  dol- 
lars for  the  two. 

Now,  when  we  come  to  foot  up,  we  find 
that,  in  ready  cash,  our  little  elementary  folly 
has  cost  us  just  three  hundred  dollars,  which 
is  by  no  means  an  extraordinary  sum.  The 
question,  therefore,  arises:  "Is  it  worth  it?" 
I  think  it  is ;  for,  mark  you,  we  are  to  credit 
upon  this  account  two  years'  pleasure  in  this 
.refined  pursuit,  enlarging  and  expanding  the 
mind,  and  leaving  enduring  traces  of  taste 
and  character,  with  the  entailment  of  no  evil 
consequences,  which  would  otherwise  prob- 
ably have  been  spent  in  greater  follies,  with 
none  of  the  culture. 

Having  now  led  you  through  the  rudiment- 
ary stages  of  unique  book-making,  we  will 


—  30  — 

revie ./  the  mighty  book  collectors  of  New  York 
and  its  vicinity,  with  some  of  the  peculiarities 
and  liabilities  of  their  giant  productions. 

Man  has  been  distinguished  from  the  rest 
of  creation  by  naturalists,  according  as  his 
various  attributes  were  presented  to  them  ;  as 
"  a  two-legged  animal  without  feathers  " — as 
"  an  animal  who  uses  tools  " — as  "  a  cooking 
animal  " — and  as  "  a  reasoning  animal/'  But, 
from  the  standpoint  of  this  evening,  I  think 
a  designation  of  quite  as  universal  adapta- 
tion would  be  a  collecting  animal.  He  makes 
collections  of  everything  —  old  books,  auto- 
graphs, coin,  armor,  firearms,  pottery,  clocks, 
watches,  walking-sticks,  jewelry,  snuff-boxes, 
fiddles,  old  stoves,  frying-pans,  etc.1  I  do 

1  A  SENSIBLE  HOBBY. — There  are  gentlemen  of  high  in- 
tellectual attainments  whose  entire  lives  are  devoted  to  the 
collection  and  investigation  of  diatomofeaf.  Of  this  beauti- 
ful infusorial  silicate,  trembling  between  the  animal  and 
vegetable  kingdoms,  there  have  been  discovered  in  Europe 
over  4,000  forms,  and  Asia,  Africa,  Polynesia  and  America 
will  quadruple,  probably,  this  number.  And,  when  we  re- 
flect that  no  organism  on  this  earth  presents  such  a  variety 
and  beauty  of  structure  and  form,  and  such  richness  and 
grandeur  of  complexion,  we  are  not  surprised  at  their  at- 
tractiveness. Their  size,  it  is  true,  is  against  them  as  popu- 
lar hobbies,  varying,  as  they  do,  from  -^  to  ¥^  of  an 
inch.  And  yet,  among  the  gentlemen  mentioned,  there  are 
those  whose  highest  ambition  it  is  to  possess  every  variety  of 
this  beautiful  creature,  and  whose  lives  are  given  over 
accomplishment.  The  great  economic  value  of  this  hobby 
over  books  and  old  stoves  is  apparent,  when  we  consider 
that  over  60,000,000  of  these  little  creatures  can  be  stored 
away  in  a  lady's  thimble. 


not,  however,  desire  to  be  understood  as  in- 
timating that  there  is  any  special  merit,  vir- 
tue or  genius  in  mere  collecting.  It  is  genius 
which  fabricates  from  these  vast  accumula- 
tions, methods  and  history  in  Art,  Archaeol- 
ogy and  Ethnology.  It  was  the  quarry-man, 
the  stone-mason  and  the  ironmonger  who  col- 
lected the  materials  for  the  Brooklyn  Bridge, 
but  it  was  the  synthetic  intellect  of  Roebling 
that  hung  it  in  the  air. 

From  my  experience  with  men  and  col- 
lectors of  fine  books  and  works  of  art,  I 
should  say  that  the  pleasure  does  not  cloy 
with  possession,  like  most  of  the  other  pleas- 
ures or  hobbies  of  this  life ;  there  is  always  a 
residuum  of  intrinsic  worth  or  adequacy  after 
the  passion  has  subsided,  something  solid  all 
the  way  through,  which  distinguishes  it  from 
other  fleeting  and  hollow  pleasure.  It  does 
not  turn  its  back  upon  us  in  adversity — "  it 
never  alienates  our  friends  or  embitters  our 
enemies,"  and  never  dishonors  our  morality. 

You  remember  the  little  girl  in  Punch  who, 
when  she  discovered  that  her  doll  was  stuffed 
with  bran,  declared  everything  in  the  world 
hollow,  and  wanted  to  be  immediately  put  in 
a  nunnery.  And  the  wisest  man  who  ever 
lived — King  Solomon — had  a  like  experience. 
And  there  are  thousands  of  men  who  fre- 


quented  the  Prospect  Park  Fair  Grounds  and 
the  Sheepshead  Bay  Racing  Park  during  the 
past  season,  in  search  of  pleasure,  whose  ex- 
perience is  very  much  like  that  of  the  little 
girl  in  Punch — maybe  something  worse.  It 
is  not  my  intention,  however,  to  intermeddle 
writh  any  man's  pursuit  of  happiness ;  but 
some  of  these  people  so  splenetically  sneer 
at  bibliolatry  as  an  unproductive  and  ruinous 
hobby,  and  refer  to  wasted  lives  so  carp- 
ingly,  that  it  is  a  relief  to  take  them  at 
disadvantage  when  the  regrets  of  a  badly- 
invested  stake,  or  the  remorse  of  a  "gilt- 
edged  "  debauch,  or  a  general  and  aggregate 
self-condemnation  chance  to  be  on  ;  to  pin- 
ion them  up  against  the  wall,  where  they 
cannot  escape  themselves,  label  them,  and 
let  them  volunteer  the  honest  confession 
that  they  would  have  been  more  morally, 
more  honorably  and  more  profitably  employed 
in  collecting  old  "  frying-pans."  I  know  men 
-who,  under  my  own  observation,  have  grown 
'wonderfully  and  mysteriously  rich.  They  are 
liberal,  lavish  their  money  upon  their  families 
in  tawdry  finery,  and  grow  more  vulgar  with 
every  dollar  they  spend.  John  Ruskin  asks: 
"What  proportion  of  the  expense  in  the  life 
of  a  gentleman  do  books  bear  to  that  cf 
horses?  What  the  comparative  expense  in 


JOHN     RUSKIN 


—  33-— 

the  supply  of  the  library  and  the  wine-cel- 
lar?" 1  I  hope  I  may  be  pardoned  this  digres- 
sion ;  it  is  a  tribute  due  a  wounded  sensibility. 

A  book  on  Bookmadness  or  Bibliomania -- 
a  romance,  in  six  parts,  by  Thomas  F.  Dib- 
din — extended  by  illustrations  to  two  vol- 
umes, imperial  octavo,  two  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  portraits  being  added,3  bound 

1  I  do  not  envy  any  man,"  says  Blades,  in  Enemies  of 
Books,  "that  absence  of  sentiment  which  makes  some  peo- 
ple careless  of  the  memorials  of  their  ancestors,  and  whose 
blood  can  be  warmed  up  only  by  talking  of  horses  or  the 
f  hops.  \Vhatan  immense  amount  of  calm  enjoy- 
ment and  mental  renovation  do  such  men  miss  !  Even  a 
millionaire  will  ease  his  toils,  his  «•;/;/«/,  lengthen  his  life, 
:  1  a  hundred  \^r  cent,  to  his  daily  pleasure,  if  he  be- 
come a  bibliophile  ;  while,  to  the  man  of  business,  with  a 
ta>te  for  books,  who,  through  the  day,  has  struggled  in  the 
battle  of  life,  with  all  its  irritating  rebuffs  and  anxieties, 
what  a  bk--  of  pleasurable  repose  opens  upon  him 

as  li.-  t-nu-rs  his  sanctum,  where  every  article  wafts  to  him  a 
welcome,  and  every  book  is  a  personal  friend  !  " 

*  Concerning  this  copy  of  the  Bibliomania,  Dibdin  him- 
self says  :  "In  the  t  >\vn  of  Islington  there  dwelt  a  worthy 
wight,  William  Turner  by  name,  a  resident  of  Canonbury 
Square,  within  the  said  town.  Of  all  lovers  (I  ought 
rather  to  say  worshippers)  of  the  Bibliomania,  he  was  the 
most  ardent,  the  most  constant  and  the  most  generous, 
sparing  nothing  wherewith  to  decorate  her  person  or  to  add 
to  the  measure  of  her  wardrobe.  Listen  to  his  inventory : 
nnania,  small  paper,  in  two  parts,  illustrated  with  21 1 
prints  (now  297),  every  leaf  extended.  The  same  bound 
by  I. cms,  not  illustrated."  The  first  (this)  copy,  on  the 
death  of  Mr.  Turner,  was  purchased  by  Evans,  the  print- 
seller,  and  by  him,  sold  to  Mr.  Town  for  sixty  guineas  ;  and 
on  Mr.  Town's  death  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Allan." — 
( Jl'vtuiSs  Private  Libraries.)  Mr.  Allan's  collection  con- 
tained thirty-two  volumes  of  Dibdin,  nearly  all  illustrated. 


—  34— 

in  rreen  morocco,  extra-tooled  inside  and 
out,  by  Charles  Lewis,  Sr.,  of  London — this 
magnificent  book  was  sold  by  Bangs,  Mer- 
win  &  Co.,  at  auction,  in  1864,  at  the  sale  of 
the  library  of  John  Allan,1  to  whom  it  be- 
longed, for  seven  hundred  and  twenty  dollars. 
Also  Dibdin's  Bibliophobia,  with  eighty-eight 
portraits.  And  another  copy  of  the  same  work. 
Also,  Dibdin's  Typographical  Antiquarian — a 
history  of  Printing  in  England,  Scotland  and 
Ireland — extended  to  four  volumes  by  illus- 
trations. These  were  all  sold  at  this  sale. 

Mr.  Allan2  was  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able known  collectors.  Nothing  escaped  him ; 
he  was  the  Nestor,  the  Granger  of  the  illus- 

1  M r.  Allan's  library  consisted  of  about  five  thousand  five 
hundred  volumes,  among  which  were  many  Bibles,  some  in 
manuscript  and  vellum  of  the  fourteenth  century,   Eliot's 
Bible,  Breeches  Bible,  Gospel  of  the  Four  Evangelists,  in 
Saxon  and   English   black-letter,    1571.     Tractatus  Verbo- 
rum,  a  small  tract  printed  by  Wynken  De  Worde,  bound  by 
Mackenzie  ;    the    Byrthe   of    Mankynde,   in    black-letter, 
1540,  abodt  one  hundred  volumes  of  scrap-books. 

2  John  Allan  was  a   Scotchman,  the  son  of  an  Ayrshire 
farmer,  who,  becoming  discontented  with  the  modest  sphere 
to  which  Providence  had  assigned   him  in   his   native  land, 
resolved  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  Ne\v  World,  and,  accord- 
ingly emigrated  to  the  United  States  about  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century.     Taking  up  his  abode  in   New   York 
City,  his  inflexible  honesty,  his  industry  and  shrewd  intelli- 
gence, always  enabled  him  to  obtain  lucrative  employment. 
From  an  humble  beginning  he  accumulated  the  means  to 
gratify  his  taste  for  books.     And  many  years  before  his 
death  he  was   known   as  a  collector  through  the  principal 
book  haunts  of  Europe  and  America. — Bibliopolist. 


••>(!  »culp l. 


—  35  — 

trating  mania  in  America.  He  displayed 
great  judgment  and  delicacy  of  taste  in  the 
selection  and  make-up  of  his  illustrated 
books,  and  they  were  to  him  more  than 
mere  vehicles  of  entertainment — they  were 
Articles  of  Faith.  In  his  collection  was 
Irving's  Knickerbocker's  History  of  Ne\v 
York,  from  the  Beginning  of  the  \Yorld  to 
the  End  of  the  Dutch  Dynasty — a  very 
difficult  book  to  illustrate.  He  had  inserted 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  prints  and 
etchings  into  this  book,  and  extended  it 
to  folio.  Many  of  the  illustrations  are 
in  proof,  and  all  good  impressions.  It  was 
an  encyclopedia  of  Knickerbockerian  art; 
and  was  purchased  by  James  Lenox  for 
twelve  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  It  now 
worthily  adorns  rjis  noble  collection.  Also  a 
humorous  History  of  New  York,  by  W.  Irv- 
ing, extended  to  folio,  one  hundred  and 
seven  portraits  and  many  other  prints  added. 
It  fetched  four  hundred  dollars.  And  there 
was  another  copy  of  the  same  work.  Dr. 
Francis'  Old  New  York,  or  Reminiscences  of 
the  Past  Sixty  Years,  replete  with  illustra- 
tions, fetched  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
at  the  same  sale.  Life  of  John  Trumbull,  in 
two  folio  volumes,  one  hundred  and  ten 
prints,  fetched  one  hundred  and  eighty  dol- 


-36- 

lars.  Irving's  Washington,  five  volumes,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  Here  was 
also  the  Nicolas  edition  of  Isaak  Walton's 
Complete  Angler,  extended  to  four  volumes 
by  the  insertion  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  por- 
traits, forty-eight  head  and  tail  pieces  on  India 
paper,  besides  a  number  of  original  drawings. 
"  It  was,"  says  Dr.  Bethunc,  "  an  exquisite 
book,"  It  sold  for  six  hundred  dollars.  An- 
other— the  Hawkins  large-paper  edition,  was 
sold  at  this  sale.  There  was  also  Yertue's 
Description  of  the  Works  of  Hollar,  illus- 
trated with  a  great  number  of  Hollar's  own 
engravings  and  etchi-  Mso  John  Jack- 

son on  Wood  Engraving,  extended  to  four 
volumes,  three  hundred  prints  being  added. 
And  Chatto  on  Wood  Engraving,  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  prints  inserted.  Also,  Bur- 
net's  History  of  My  Own  Times,  four  vol- 
umes, folio,  three  hundred  and  twenty-six 
prints  added.  It  sold  for  one  hundred  and 
sixty  dollars.  Life  of  Sir  Humphrey  Davy, 
by  Paris,  illustrated  with  autograph  letters 
and  portraits  of  the  most  eminent  literary 
men  and  scientific  characters,  including  Count 
Benjamin  Thompson  Rumford,  Dr.  Samuel 
Parr,  Dr.  John  Fothergill,  Lord  Cornwallis, 

1  A  set  of  these  valuable  prints  sold  at  the  Tite  sale  for 
$340,  and  a  finer  set  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  Corser  for  $700. 


) 

x;/ 


—  37  — 

Duke  of  Sussex,  and  others,  in  two  volumes, 
octavo — was  in  the  list.  Of  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots  there  were  two  copies.1  Robert  Burns' 
Life  and  Works,  by  James  Currie,  bound  by 
Mackenzie,  in  nine  volumes,  with  sixty  por- 
traits of  Burns,  sold  for  two  hundred  dollars. 
There  were  nine  editions  of  the  Bard  of  Ayr- 
shire, or  "  unregenerated  heathen,"  as  he  calls 
himself,  in  this  collection,  excluding  the  Kil- 
marnock  edition,  and  all  illustrated.2  Also 
Walpole,  in  seven  volumes,  which  fetched  two 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  dollars;  Byron  (got  up 
in  London,  by  William  Upcott),  one  hundred 
and  thirty  dollars.  Shakspeare  was  represented 
in  this  treasury  of  literature  by  eleven  titles, 
ninety-one  volumes,  all  privately  illustrated 
with  many  thousand  prints.  Pope,  Scott, 
Ratnsdy,  Moore,  Campbell,  and  a  great  many 
others,  privately  illustrated,  were  also  to  be 
found  hi 

For  bindings,  Mr.   Allan   indulged   in  the 

1  One  of  which  is  now  in   the   collection   of  J.    Carter 
Brown,  Providence. 

2  The  esteem  in  which  Burns  is  held  is  evidenced  by  thi 
sale  of  his  autograph  Bruce's  Address  to  His  Troops  at 
Bannockburn,    commencing    "Scots  wha  hae  wi'  Wallace 
bled, "and  signed  "  By  Rob.   Burns."     This  address  sold 
for  $100  at  the  Tite  sale,  in  London,   1874,     Either  Burns 
must  have  written  more  than  one  copy  of  this  address,  or 
the  Tite  copy  was  not  genuine,   for  Robert  Thallon,  Esq., 
of  Brooklyn,  possesses  an  undoubted  original. — Catalogue. 


-38- 

luxuries  of  Tarrant,  Bedford,  Mackenzie, 
Lewis,  Matthews  and  Riviere.  There  was  a 
remarkable  book  about  Robert  Fulton  in 
this  illustrated  library — a  Treatise  on  the  Im- 
provement of  Canal  Navigation — with  ex- 
amples of  Fulton's  original  drawings,  water- 
colors  ;  and  autograph  letters  of  Chancellor 
Livingston,  Benjamin  West,  Joel  Barlow, 
Gouverneur  Morris,  Andrew  Jackson,  Volney 
Laplace  and  Gaspard  Monge  ;  also  newspaper 
cuttings  of  the  contemporaneous  press. 

Mr.  Allan  was  one  of  the  few  kind,  gener- 
ous and  simple-hearted  old  men  whose  life 
was  made  happy,  beautiful  and  worthy  of 
imitation  for  the  solid  and  enduring  qualities 
of  sincerity  and  truthfulness  by  which  it  was 
characterized,  and  his  epitaph  is  not  only  in- 
scribed upon  the  memories  of  the  men  of  his 
time,  his  contemporaries,  personal  friends, 
but  he  will  be  gratefully  remembered  by 
every  book-lover  in  this  country  for  genera- 
tions to  come  ;  his  name  will  be  long  associ- 
ated with  generous  reminiscences  of  the 
craft.  "  Among  his  personal  friends,"  says 
Bookworm  in  Sabin's  Bibliopolist,  "who  fre- 
quented and  enjoyed  the  cultured  atmos- 
phere of  Mr.  Allan's  residence  in  Vande- 
water  street  were  Dr.*Francis,  Verplanck, 
Duyckinck,  Peter  Hastie,  Mr.  Lossing,  Mr. 


FULTON 

(ROBF.RT). 


^  •>*• 

IXQUES  COvn:Ml'(>l;M\S. 

!'•  .tf.s  tie  iiiiirt.) 

1790.  FiMiiMIn.  I1SIO.  SToni-olfifr. 

17!»i.  l.i,xni,irr.  J1SI-2.  Jo«-l  H..H.MT. 

I7!»S.  \Vii.sliintjlon.  jlsl'.i.  J.uiii- NN:iU 

17'.' I.  C...K.,,,,.  I  KM.  N..[M,lcou. 

1805.  Benjaiii.  Wol.  |18-20.  Jeuuer. 


y 


/£ 


;          J. 


t      Sr 


—  39  — 

Putnam,  Dr.  Hoecker  and  Dr.  Anderson,  the 
father  of  American  wood  engraving,  and 
others."  l 

The  venerable  Evert  A.  Duyckinck,  of  New 
York,  now  deceased,  the  personal  friend  and 
compatriot  of  John  Allan,  passed  his  life  in 
an  atmosphere  of  literature.  He  founded 
the  Literary  World  in  1847,  and  published  the 
Cyclopaedia  of  American  Literature  in  1856. 
He  illustrated  a  great  many  valuable  books, 
all  of  which  are  now  in  the  Lenox  Library, 
pursuant  to  a  provision  of  his  will. 

It  was  the  original  design,  in  this  Mono- 
graph, to  limit  researches  to  the  city  of  Nc\v 

1  The  following  note,  containing  some  very  interesting 
facts  concerning  Mr.  Allan,  and  which  will  explain  itself, 
was  written  immediately  after  the  first  report  of  this  lecture 
in  the  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle,  in  December  last : 

"PHILADELPHIA.  December  n,  1880.  ) 
1520  Spruce  St.  f 

My  deat  Mr.  White  : 

The  newspaper  article  you  were  so  kind  to  mail  to  me, 
I  can  assure  you,  was  very  interesting  to  me.  I  was  very 
intimate  with  Mr.  Allan,  mentioned  as  being  one  of  the  first 
collectors  and  illustrators  in  this  country.  He  died  from 
the  effects  of  a  shock  received  from  fright  during  the 
bounty  riots  in  New  York,  about  1863.  I  had  the  pleasure, 
about  seven  years  before  his  death,  of  being  one  of  a  sur- 
prise party  that  met  at  his  house  to  celebrate  his  eightieth 
birthday.  Among  the  number  was  the  late  George  P.  Put- 
nam, Benson  J.  Lossing,  Mr.  Menzies,  John  and  Thomas 
Moreau,  in  all  about  fifteen  in  number.  I  illustrated  his 
life,  written  by  Jno.  B.  Moreau  for  the  Bradford  Club,  of 
New  York.  F.  J.  DREER. 

To  G.  C.  White,  690  Broadway,  N.  V." 


cle  portrait  of  Thomas  Paine,"  of  which  only 
twenty-five  were  printed. 

There  was  also  the  collection  of  John  A. 
Rice,  of  Chicago,  with  its  ninctccn-hundred- 
and-twenty-dollar  Dibdin,  in  six  thick  volumes, 
bound  in  olive  morocco  by  Lewis,  of  Lon- 
don,1 and  purchased  by  an  unknown  lady  of 
Massachusetts.  Also  Spooner's  Dictionary.  <i 

1  A  Biographical  Antiquarian  and  Picturesque  Tour  in 
Prance  and  Germany,  by  Thomas  Frognall  Dibdin,  F.  U.  S., 
5.  A.  Tl  nderful  book,  3  volum 

large  paper,  enlarged  to  six  very  thick  volumes,  beautiful!)- 
bound  in  the  best  style  of  Charles  Lewis,  in  olive  morocco, 
beautifully  tooled  inside  and  out,  vellum  linings  and  fly 
leaves.  It  contained  numerous  portraits,  prints,  vignettes, 
all  choice  pnx>fs,  with  an  e  -  rints  in  va- 

rious stages  of  engraving  and  the  same  print,  very  frequent- 
ly in  two,  three  and  four  different  states — viz.,  etchings, 
unfinished  proofs,  proofs  before  the  letters,  proofs  upon 
India  paper,  and  impressions  after  the  e  cancelled, 

with  the  faience  print  .liter  the  original  drawing. 

It  has  also  the  series  of  groups  illustrating  the  physiognomy, 
manners  and  character  of  the  people 

r/.any,  by  (i.  K.  Lewis,  60  prints  proof,  upon  India  paper, 
with  numerous  dupli-  -ving, 

some  of  which  were  altered,  and  a  privately-printed  state- 
ment respecting  the  prices  he  charged  for  the  sketches  and 
drawings  for  this  work,  wh  i  suppressed.  It 

contains  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  original 
drawings,  by  the  following  eminent  artists  :  Two  in  colors, 
by  N.  Bevin  ;  27  in  colors,  by  T.  Bury  ;  one  in  pen  and  ink, 
by  Correy  ;  one  in  pencil,  by  Dr.  Dibdin  ;  7  in  colors,  by 
B.  Ferry  ;  6  in  colors  by  G.  Jones  ;  22  original  tracings,  by 
G.  R.  Lewis  ;  2  in  colors,  by  T.  Mercer ;  6  in  colors,  by  J. 
P.  Neale  ;  15  in  colors,  by  \V.  Price  ;  32  in  colors,  by  A. 
W.  Pugin.  Also,  further  by  230  portraits  and  etchings. 
This  book  was  formerly  the  property  of  Sir  George  1 1 
ling,  Bart.,  London,  and  he  was  over  twenty  years  in  gath- 
ering the  material,  sparing  neither  labor  nor  expense  to 
make  it  the  finest  Lock  m  existence. — Rice  Catalo^ut. 


;'«„„• 


ATUTM<0)m    ©IF   "EJflCJE     S3FSTo 


r-iC^22X  ^i> 
<7 


Zcruto*..  futlisheti.  in  tfu    >. 


—  43  — 

Biographical  History  of  the  Fine  Arts,  in  ten 
volumes  of  seven  hundred  dollars,  purchased 
by  the  same  lady,  who  modestly  confesses  to 
slight  symptoms  of  bibliomania  ;  likewise  the 
History  of  the  United  States  Navy,  by  J. 
Fenimore  Cooper,  in  two  volumes.  There  are 
two  sets  of  this  last  work.  Nothing  can  ex- 
ceed the  magnificence  of  a  little  volume,  by 
Schuyler  Hamilton,  entitled  History  of  the 
National  Flag,  inlaid  to  quarto  and  contain- 
ing sixty-nine  inserted  prints,  many  proofs  on 
India  paper,  with  a  great  variety  of  designs 
for  flags,  and  for  the  great  seal,  bound  in 
green  levant  by  Pawson  &  Nicholson.  Also 
memoirs  of  Lieutenant -General  Winfield 
Scott,  LL.  D.  This  elegant  book,  of  which 
one  hundred  copies  only  were  printed,  is  illus- 
trated by  seventy  rare  prints,  inserted,  bound 
in  half  red  levant  by  Matthews ;  Irving's 
Washington,  five  volumes,  quarto,  extended 
to  ten,  with  forty-five  different  portraits  of 
Washington,  bound  in  blue  morocco  (more 
fully  described  in  the  Andrews  Collection,  of 
which  it  once  formed  a  part).  Here  was  also 
Duyckinck's  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Litera- 
ture, extended  to  five  volumes,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety-seven  portraits,  views  and 
autographs  inserted,  in  half  brown  morocco ; 
it  fetched  three  hundred  and  twelve  dollars. 


—  44  — 

This  library,  with  its  three  hundred  privately- 
illustrated  books,  sold  for  forty-two  thousand 
dollars — a  nice  little  deficit  of  many  thousand 
dollars  on  its  original  cost. 

The  collection  of  Andrew  Wight,  of  Phila- 
delphia, although  long  since  dispersed,  de- 
serves honorable  mention.  It  was  in  many 
respects  a  remarkable  collection.  It  con- 
tained living's  Washington,  extended  to  ten 
volumes  by  the  insertion  of  fifteen  hundred 
illustrations.  One  hundred  and  fifty-one  por- 
traits of  Washington,  sixty-two  of  Franklin 
and  eighteen  portraits  of  Washington  Irving 
(unbound),  sold  in  1864,  for  seven  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars.  Here  was  also 
Everett's  Life  of  Washington,  illustrated. 

This  beautiful  set  of  Washingtoniana  was 
supplemented  by  Sanderson's  Signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  in  nine  vol- 
umes, royal  octavo,  said  to  have  been  the 
finest  copy  ever  sold.  Also  another  copy  of 
the  same  work,  extended  to  nine  volumes. 
Also  a  Biographical  History  of  England  in 
six  volumes,  with  three  hundred  prints  in- 
serted. This  famous  book  was  the  first  book 
known  to  have  been  privately  illustrated. 
It  was  the  work  of  James  Granger,  the  Vicar 
of  Shiplake,  in  1769,  from  whom  sprang  the 
present  race  of  Grangerites. 


—45  — 

Mr.  Wight  also  illustrated  Clarendon's 
Rebellion,  extending  it  to  ten  volumes. 

Nor  can  we  entirely  ignore  the  now  dis- 
persed library  of  William  Menzies,  Esq.  The 
superlative  adjectives  employed  by  Mr.  Sabin 
in  the  catalogue  of  this  unrivalled  collection 
are  enough  to  make  one's  brain  swim.  There 
was  the  Irving  Life  of  Washington,  extended 
from  five  to  ten  volumes,  and  with  the  manu- 
script of  Guilford  Court  House,  Chapter  XX. 
in  the  handwriting  of  the  author,  making 
another  volume,  and  Tuckerman's  Character 
of  the  portraits  of  Washington  another — in 
all,  seven  volumes,  extended  to  twelve,  with 
seventeen  hundred  inserted  illustrations, 
mostly  proof,  two  hundred  and  twenty-two 
of  which  were  portraits  of  Washington,  and 
sixty-two  water-colors  and  drawings  of  the 
various  headquarters  of  Washington,  besides 
ninety-eight  autograph  letters,  ten  of  Wash- 
ington, The  binding  is  by  Matthews,  in 
green  morocco,  beautifully  tooled  outside 
from  designs  made  expressly  for  the  work, 
with  watered  silk  linings,  morocco  joints,  etc., 
and  cost  alone  nine  hundred  dollars.  It  is 
said  to  be  a  masterpiece  of  the  binder's  art. 
This  wonderful  book  sold  at  the  Menzies 
sale,  in  1876,  for  four  thousand  and  eighty 
dollars,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  a  New 


York  collector.  No  amount  of  money  could 
duplicate  this  work.  Here  was  also  the 
sumptuous  Abbotsford  edition  of  the  Waver- 
ley  Novels,  large  paper,  extended  to  twenty- 
four  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  additional  illustrations,  bound 
in  green  levant  by  Matthews  ;  it  sold  for  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Dunlap's  History  of  the  Rise  and  Progress 
of  the  Arts  of  Design  in  the  United  States, 
two  volumes,  extended  to  six,  sold  for  three 
hundred  and  eighteen  dollars.  This  library 
contained  also  Walton's  Angler,  Francis' 
Old  New  York,  Knight's  Shakspeare  (sold 
for  $252), 1  Burns,  Franklin,  Irving's  Works 
and  Life,  Blennerhasset  Papers,  Walpole's 
Painters,  Colden's  Life  of  Fulton,  Parton's 
Life  of  Jackson,  Custis*  Recollections  of 
Washington,  Randall's  Life  of  Jefferson, 
Hosack's  Life  of  Clinton,  John  Sander- 
son's Biographies  of  the  Signers,  extended 


1  No  pretensions  are  made  toward  giving  the  pedigree  of 
illustrated  books  in  this  treatise,  except  where  present  own- 
ers have  volunteered  it.  It  would  be  quite  unpleasant  to 
trace  a  gentleman's  prized  books  through  a  series  of  owners, 
speculators,  and  sales  of  assignees  or  executors  (an  easy 
thing  to  do).  In  refusing  to  do  this,  I  am  aware  that  I  am 
open  to  the  charge  of  describing  the  same  book  more  than 
once,  which  has  been  done  in  one  or  two  cases,  and  which 
cannot  be  avoided  without  breaking  faith  with  those  who 
have  kindly  permitted  the  use  of  their  names  and  libraries. 


—47  — 

to  nine  volumes  imperial  octavo.  This  was 
from  the  Andrew  Wight  Collection,  Phil- 
adelphia. Also  another  copy  in  nine  vol- 
umes, with  one  hundred  illustrations,  first 
proof,  and  on  India  paper,  inserted.  And 
still  another  copy  in  nine  volumes,  the  Con- 
rad edition  of  1852.  Also  Sargent's  Life  of 
Andre",  Warren's  American  Revolution, 
Schroeder's  Washington,  Franklin's  works, 
and  many  other  American  works,  including 
William  H.  Prescott's  Biographical  aud  Mis- 
cellaneous Essays — all  illustrated. 

The  Dibdins  of  this  collection  consisted  of 
fifty-three  volumes,  with  over  two  thousand 
high  class  illustrations  inserted,  and  all  uni- 
formly bound  by  Matthews  in  half  crushed 
olive  brown  levant.  No  description  of  this 
wonderful  set  of  books  within  the  province 
of  our  present  designs  could  give  any  ade- 
quate idea  of  its  magnificence.1 


1  Among  the  more  prominent  buyers  at  this  sale  was  Mr. 
Joseph  J.  Cooke,  of  Providence,  whose  purchases  amounted 
to  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  whole.  Next  in  importance  and 
in  amount  were  those  of  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Drexel,  most  of 
which  were  purchased  for  him  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Fisher.  The 
purchases  of  J.  Sabin  &  Sons  were  made  for  various  gen- 
tlemen who  could  not  attend  the  sale,  or  did  not  desire  that 
their  names  should  be  made  public,  or  preferred  experienced 
dealers  to  execute  their  commissions.  Among  the  gentle- 
men of  New  York  were  Mr.  R.  L.  Stuart.  Mr.  Fisher  Howe 
and  Mr.  S.  W.  Phoenix.  Many  of  the  rarities  go  out  of  the 
city,  mostly  to  Mr.  E.  G.  Asay,  of  Chicago  ;  some  to  Mi; 


Nor  can  we  enter  into  a  detailed  account 
of  the  great  illustrated  library  of  E.  G.  Asay, 
of  Chicago,  with  its  more  than  unique  copy 
of  Longfellow's  wandering  Florentine  exile, 
Dante — the  man  with  deeper-rooted  preju 
dices,  stronger  loves  and  bitterer  hates — with 
greater  capacities  for  ideal  thought  than  any 
man  who  has  ever  lived.  But  it  is  not  our 
purpose  to  linger  with  the  moods  of  this  sad 
and  brooding  genius.  There  were  three 
copies  only  of  this  edition  printed,  and  it 
may  be  a  consolation  to  the  desperately 
smitten  bibliomaniac  in  this  line  to  know 
that  this  is  the  only  one  remaining.  Origi- 
nally published  in  three  volumes — now  ex- 
tended to  six,  bound  in  London  in  maroon 
levant — it  contains  all  the  known  engraved 
portraits  of  Dante.  Its  entire  cost  was  only 
two  thousand  one  hundred  dollars.  Notable 
in  this  collection  was  Walton's  Angler,  large 
paper;  Pickering,  extended  to  six  volumes 
by  the  insertion  of  prints,  portraits  and 
water-colors,  valued  at  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars; Ireland's  New  York  Stage,  extended  to 
five  volumes  ;  also  Doran's  Annals,  extended 


Robert  Clarke,  of  Cincinnati,  others  to  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress ;  also  to  the  State  Department  at  Washington.  Cer- 
tainly two-thirds  of  the  library  goes  to  other  localities. — 
Bibliopolist. 


W.   B.   CLOSSON,  SC. 


QA~v^, 


—  49  — 

to  six ;  Fitzgerald's  Life  of  Garrick,  extended 
to  four  volumes,  bound  by  Matthews ;  Camp- 
bell's Life  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  Dibdin's  Biblio- 
graphical Decameron,  Boccaccio's  Decameron, 
Dibdin's  Continental  and  Northern  Tour, 
Fielding,  Smollett,  Sterne,  Waverly  Novels, 
extended,  with  a  wealth  of  illustration.  Mr. 
Asay  lavished  expense  upon  his  bindings. 
He  had  a  decided  weakness  for  the  French, 
and  paid  prices  varying  from  fifteen  to  sev- 
enty-five dollars  per  volume. 

Nor  can  we,  in  this  essay,  entertain  the  col- 
lection of  Thomas  Westwood,1  the  Walton- 
ian  paragon,  with  his  fifty-six  editions  of  the 
gentle  Angler,  including  the  first  five  editions 
now  nearly,  if  not  quite  unique,  with  an 
appropriate  number  of  the  twin  work  of 
Cotton — in  all  five  hundred  and  one  volumes 
on  piscatorial  science  alone  ;  and  all  the 
progeny  of  one  little  volume  in  I2mo,  printed 
by  Maxy  for  Richard  Marriott,  in  1653. 

Nor  can  we  stop  to  enter  into  a  detail  of 
that  most  complete  collection  of  Dr.  Bethune 
on  piscatorial  science.  It  contained,  not  only 
the  various  editions  of  Walton,  but  also  all 


1  See  Bibliotheca  Piscatoria,  catalogue  of  the  library  of 
Thomas  Westwood,  Esq..  author  of  the  Chronicles  of  the 
Complete  Angler,  £c.,  &c.,  by  J.  W.  Bouton,  706  Broad- 
way, New  York,  1873. 


—  50  — 

the  books  referred  to  by  Walton.  Also  books 
on  ichthyology  and  angling,  in  Greek,  Latin, 
Italian,  German  and  French,  yet  it  in  no  wise 
involved  the  specialties  treated  in  this  paper.1 


1  It  had  been  my  intention  to  make  no  reference  to  pri- 
vately-illustrated books  in  the  hands  of  booksellers,  but  I 
cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  naming  a  few,  which  have 
from  time  to  time  appeared  in  the  catalogues  of  J.  W.  Bou- 
ton,  New  York,  and  which  are  not  found  in  any  private  col- 
lection, as — 

Chambers'  General  Biographical  Dictionary,  1,200  illus- 
trations inserted,  all  portraits,  32  volumes,  $550. 

Cruikshankiana,  500  prints  added,  bound  by  Hay  day, 
$300. 

Marguerite  of  Navarre,  a  great  number  of  fine  prints, 
bound  by  David,  $126. 

Boaden's  Life  of  John  P.  Kemble,  2  volumes,  extended 
to  6,  350  portraits,  bound  by  Riviere,  $225. 

Life  of  George  Raymond,  by  Elliston,  2  volumes,  ex- 
tended to  4,  500  portraits  and  prints,  $262. 

Memorial  de  St.  Helene,  by  Las  Casas,  600  engravings, 
bound  by  Chambolle  Duru,  $300. 

Contes  et  Nouvelles  en  Vers,  I.a  Fontaine,  7  volumes, 
bound  by  David,  $1,355. 

La  Pucelle  d'Orleans,  Voltaire,  2  volumes  (large  paper), 
extended  to  4  ;  400  prints,  bound  by  David,  $600. 

Scott's  \Vaverly  Novels,  12  volumes,  extended  to  35; 
4,000  illustrations,  $3,000, 

Shakspeare's  Dramatic  Works,  by  Boydell,  35  volumes — 
a  volume  devoted  to  each  play.  The  illustrations  (4.437  in 
all),  consist  of  views,  portraits,  costumes,  drawings  in  pen- 
cil, sepia  and  water-colors,  comprising  all  the  regular  - 
of  illustrations.  Nearly  one-third  of  the  prints  are  in  bril- 
liant proof  condition.  Kxtra  titles  to  each  volume.  This 
is  a  magnificent  copy,  and  cost  over  $18,000.  The  inlay, 
ing  was  done  by  Trent.  $7,500. 

Milton's  Poetical  Works,  with  Life,  by  William  Harley, 
3  volumes,  folio,  extended  to  8,  with  a  vast  number  of  por» 
traits  of  Milton — Flatter's  series,  India  proof;  Stothard  in 
two  states ;  Richter,  artist  proof ;  Fuseli  proofs,  Dor6 


•-'  BAN       :  '  Pi  I'.. 


! 


; 


Mr.  Irving  Brown,  a  lawyer  of  the  city  of 
Troy,  now  of  the  Albany  Law  Journal y  made 
an  attractive  and  eccentric  collection  of  illus- 
trated books.  He  has  illustrated  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  volumes,  using  ten  thou- 
sand prints,  drawings  and  sketches.  Among 
his  books  was  The  Croakers,  by  Joseph  Rod- 
man Drake  and  Fitzgreenc  Halleck,  being 
number  two  of  the  Bradford  Club  publica- 
tions. He  extended  this  octavo  volume  to 
four  by  the  addition  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-two  portraits  and  views  of  exemplary 
beauty.  The  inlaying  was  done  by  Trent. 
He  also  illustrated  another  copy  of  the  same 
work  with  superior  prints.  Also  a  large  paper 
copy  of  James  Wynne's  Private  Libraries  of 
New  York,  extending  the  one  volume  to 
three  by  the  insertion  of  three  hundred  and 
seventeen  prints,  mostly  India  proof.  This 
is  a  fine  book  for  the  display  of  rare  por- 
traits. He  extended  Walton's  Complete  An- 
gler from  one  to  three  volumes  by  inserting 
four  hundred  illustrations. 

Nor  did  Dibdin  escape  him  ! 


proofs,  and  many  others.     Cost  over  $5,000.     Inlaying  by 
Trent. 

The  Holy  Bible,  3  volumes,  royal  octavo,  extended  to  60 
volumes,  imperial  folio,  by  the  insertion  of  over  30,000 
prints  and  other  illustrations.  This  is  the  largest  and  most 
elaborately  illustrated  Bible  in  the  world.  $10,000. 


—  52  — 

In  looking  over  Mr.  Brown's  remarkable 
collection  of  illustrated  books,  we  were  sur- 
prised at  the  wide  range  he  had  taken  and 
his  apparent  want  of  method.  It  would  seem 
that  the  moment  he  came  into  possession 
of  a  book,  it  was  put  under  the  rack  to  ex- 
tort its  capacity  for  illustrations.  He  illus- 
trated even-thing — he  was  omnivorous  ;  and, 
notwithstanding  his  mat:  -ulted  in  the 

production  of  some  noble  books,  it  was  with- 
out specialty  or  system.  In  his  vagaries  he 
illustrated,  with  equal  enthusiasm,  John  Mil- 
ton, Boccaccio,  Kdward  Kverett,  John  Bun- 
yan,  a  collection  of  Love  Poems,  Dob: 
Book  of  Death,  Odes  t«>  . \nacreon,  Shades 
of  an  Old  Bookseller,  Poetry,  Fine  Arts, 
Travels,  Natural  History,  and,  last  of  all,  in 
the  moment  of  despair  that  he  had  no  more 
worlds  to  conquer,  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
illustrating  a  catalogue  of  his  own  books  ; 
and  this,  I  think,  was  the  most  curious  of 
all  his  illustrated  books. 

Mr.  Brown's  collection,  although  it  con- 
tained some  excessively  beautiful  books,  was 
singularly  deficient  in  biographical  works, 
which  are  by  far  the  most  interesting  and 
valuable  of  all  illustrated  books.  A  noble 
life,  with  all  its  intrinsic  and  extrinsic  beau- 
ties put  fairly  on  record,  is  of  itself  a  model 


GlOVA  NX  I     ii  O  C  CAC  CIO 


I 

. 

- 


**, 


—  53  — 

for  emulation,  but,  when  interpreted  by  beau- 
tiful and  appropriate  portraits  and  prints, 
takes  a  new  grace  which  cannot  fail  in  its  in- 
spiration. Carlyle  says  "  Man's  social  nature 
evinces  itself  in  the  unspeakable  delight  he 
takes  in  biography."  Emerson  says:  "Man 
can  paint  or  make  or  think  nothing  but  man. 
What  is  history  but  the  work  of  ideas,  the 
record  of  the  incomparable  energy  and  aspira- 
tions of  man  ?  All  novels  are  a  fictitious 
biography ;  x  the  drama  is  but  artificial  bi- 
ography." Plutarch's  Lives,  written  nearly 
two  thousand  years  ago,  like  Homer's  Iliad, 
is  one  of  the  greatest  books  in  the  world, 
only  it  should  be  supplemented  with  the 
lives  of  Faraday,  Gladstone,  Peabody,  Lin- 
coln, Theodore  Parker,  Charles  Sumner, 
James  Lick  and  Lucretia  Mott,  and  illus- 
trated, that  thus  embalmed  in  thought  and 
form,  their  apotheosis  may  there  abide  for- 
ever; for — 

"  He  is  not  dead  whose  glorious  mind 

Lifts  thine  on  high. 
To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind 
Is  not  to  die." 


1  The  true  science  of  biography  is  professed  by  the  great 
novelists  of  the  day.  We  see  its  growth  in  reading  the 
works  of  Goethe  and  Scott  and  Thackeray  and  Dickens  and 
Victor  Hugo  and  their  thousand  pupils  in  the  divinest  of  all 
arts,  the  picturing  of  human  life. — Lesley. 


—  54  — 

Of  the  collections  of  which  we  are  particular- 
ly to  speak  this  evening,  Mr.  J.  H.  V.  Arnold's,1 
of  New  York,  is  especially  rich  in  biography, 
and,  indeed,  for  that  reason  affords  a  great  relief 
to  the  mind  in  entering  it  from  the  collection 
last  named.  His  devotion  to  literature  was 
much  confined  to  the  drama  and  biography, 
and  the  histories  of  his  favorites  he  has  lavishly 
adorned  with  prints.  His  illustrated  Life  of 
Thomas  Stothard,  the  artist,  is  of  marvelous 
beauty — originally  in  two  volumes,  octavo, 
now  in  three  volumes,  folio,  by  the  insertion  of 
six  hundred  prints  of  unexceptionable  purity. 
A  Sketch  of  the  Life  of  James  W.  Wallack, 
large  paper,  with  seventy-five  portraits,  auto- 
graphs and  playbills  inserted  (portraits  of 
George  H.  Barrett,  Laura  Addison,  W.  E. 
Burton,  G.  P.  Morris,  J.  H.  Hackett,  J.  B. 
Booth),  is  a  gem  of  the  illustrator's  art. 
Also  Memoirs  of  Charles  Mathews,  extended 
to  seven  volumes,  with  three  hundred  rare 

1  J.  H.  V.  Arnold,  Esq.,  belongs  to  an  old  New  York 
family,  who  settled  in  this  State  prior  to  the  Revolution. 
Mr.  Arnold  is  now  forty-one  years  of  age  ;  was  born,  edu- 
cated, and  has  always  resided  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
He  began  the  practice  of  the  law  twenty  years  ago.  He 
has  been  a  collector  of  engravings  for  twenty-five  years 
past,  and  now  has  a  very  large  and  complete  collection, 
especially  on  the  drama.  Also  a  large  and  valuable  collec- 
tion of  autographs.  His  collection  of  trials  and  works  on 
crime  and  criminals  is  probably  the  largest  single  collection 
in  this  State. 


,ty ///,// 
//. 

I. "II  r-8*. 


—  55  — 

and  curious  portraits  of  actors  and  actresses 
added.  These  volumes  were  bound  by  Riv- 
iere. Gait's  Lives  of  the  Players  (actors), 
with  a  multitude  of  scarce  and  valuable  theat- 
rical portraits,  was  extended  from  one  to  four 
volumes,  royal  quarto.  This  collection  also 
embraced  the  Lives  of  David  Garrick,  Mrs. 
Jordan,  Thomas  Holcroft,  Thomas  Doggett, 
Mrs.  Abington,  Tate,  Williamson  and  others. 
The  dramatic  biographies  include  memoirs  of 
the  Keans,  Kembles,  Mrs.  Siddons,  Bellamy, 
Inchbald,  Betterton,  Wilks,  Gibber,  Lewes, 
De  Castro,  Clark,  Forrest,  Hamblin  and 
Cooke.  Here  is  also  Walpole's  Royal  and 
Noble  Authors  of  England,  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  por- 
traits, in  five  volumes,  royal  quarto.  This 
collection  was  a  great  storehouse  of  mem- 
oirs. 

But  the  crowning  monument  of  his  indus- 
try and  liberality  is  Ireland's  Records  of  the 
New  York  Stage,  extended  to  twenty  vol- 
umes, folio,  upon  which  he  is  still  engaged, 
and  for  the  materials  of  which,  he  assures 
me,  he  has  expended,  up  to  the  present  mo- 
ment, over  nine  thousand  dollars.  Any  ef- 
fort toward  a  description  of  this  enormous 
work,  without  a  week  of  careful  inspection, 
must  be  a  failure.  There  are  not  less  than 


-56- 

five  thousand  five  hundred  illustrations.  But 
as  to  exterior  elegance  and  interior  historical 
completeness  nothing  in  this  collection  excels 
John  W.  Francis*  Old  New  York.  It  con- 
tains twenty-five  hundred  autographs,  por- 
traits and  views,  and  more  than  that  number 
of  newspaper  cuttings.  The  original  one 
volume  has  been  extended  to  nine  royal  folio 
volumes,  all  sumptuously  bound  by  R.  \V. 
Smith,  of  New  York,  in  brown  crushed  le- 
vant, elaborately  tooled  inside  and  out. 
"  Nothing  has  been  spared  to  make  thjs  the 
finest  local  history  in  existence."  There  is 
another  copy  of  this  work,  which  was  illus- 
trated by  William  L.  Andrews  in  two  vol- 
umes, royal  octavo.  Another  very  noted 
book  of  this  library — Homes  of  American 
Authors,  by  George  P.  Putnam,  lies  near  the 
heart  of  every  lover  of  American  literature. 
It  has  seventy-five  autograph  letters  inserted. 
In  closing  up  this  account  of  Mr.  Arnold,  it 
behooves  us  to  give  one  glance  of  recognition 
at  an  old  acquaintance,  Boswcll's  Johnson  and 
Johnsoniana,  in  eleven  volumes,  with  about 
one  thousand  illustrations,  including  Oldys, 
Chatterton,  Tonson,  Davenant,  Ramsey,  Ast- 
ley,  and  Bishop  Percy.  Beside  these  there 
were  hundreds  of  other  illustrated  books, 
including  Granger's  Biographical  History  of 


"/ 


7\ibluhed  ly  James Aspcrru.,  at  the  Bit; 


—  57  — 

England ;  a  large  representation  in  early 
American  History  of  extremely  rare  works 
— Hakluyt  Society,  Early  Voyages,  complete ; 
also  of  English,  American  and  French  fiction 
and  Bibliography.  This  collection  has  been 
partially  dispersed. 

The  Histrionic  Art  has  also  a  noble  and 
worthy  representative  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
Augustin  Daly,1  of  Daly's  Theatre,  Broad- 
way, New  York  ;  he  has  done  some  chivalrous 
work  in  illustrating  the  drama;  he  illustrated 
the  memorial  presented  by  loving  hands  to 
commemorate  that  good  man,  George  Hol- 
land, who  went  to  his  narrow  resting-  place 
from  "  the  little  church  around  the  corner." 
There  were  fifty  copies  only  of  this  memori- 
al printed  ;  this  one  has  been  extended  to  two 
stout  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  two  hun- 
dred prints,  bound  in  claret  levant  by  R.  W. 
Smith.  Also  a  sketch  of  Edwin  Booth  and  an- 
other fine  work,  the  Life  of  Richard  Brinsley 
Sheridan,  the  English  Hyperides,  illustrated 
by  three  hundred  and  fifty  portraits,  views 
and  autograph  letters,  making  two  thick  roy- 
al quarto  volumns,  bound  by  R.  W.  Smith. 
Here  is  also  Arthur  Murphy,  author  of  John- 
son and  Garrick.  He  has  Ireland's  Records 

1  Augustin  Daly  was  born  at  Plymouth,  North  Carolina, 
July  20,  1838. 


—  58- 

of  the  New  York  Stage,  extended  to  ten  roy. 
al  octavo  volumes,  by  the  insertion  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  prints,  one  hundred  and  ten 
original  drawings,  portraits  and  sketches,  be- 
sides many  rare  autographs  and  playbills, 
illuminated  title  pages,  etc. ;  half  bound,  by 
R.  W.  Smith,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Morrell 
spared  nothing  on  this  book  to  make  it  perfec- 
tion. Mr.  Daly  has  illustrated  Macklin's  Bible, 
first  edition,  with  thousands  of  illustrations 
(many  of  them  original  Durers)  in  thirty  vol- 
umes folio;  the  History  of  the  English  Stage, 
from  the  Restoration  to  the  Present  Time ; 
Croker's  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  extended 
to  six  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  over  six- 
hundred  prints,  mostly  portraits,  bound  by 
Bain,  London,  in  full  crimson  levant.  Could 
the  "  old  bear "  come  back  to  earth,  I  have 
no  doubt  he  would  express  his  approbation  of 
this  book  by  his  acccustomed  "  grunt."  We 
further  note  Campbell's  Life  of  Mrs.  Siddons, 
with  one  hundred  and  sixty  prints,  many  rare 
portraits  of  Mrs.  Siddons  ;  W.  &  R.  Chambers' 
Book  of  Days,  two  volumes,  octavo,  extended 
to  twelve,  each  forming  a  month,  having  many 
hundred  prints  inserted,  newspaper  cuttings, 
broadsides  and  old  playbills,  a  curious  and 
interesting  assemblage  of  portraits,  and  some 
original  drawings;  also  Cunningham's  Story 


D  E>  (S)  © 


11  •  Ei  cli  sird.  BenfL  ey.  18  6  2/ . 


—  59  — 

of  Nell  Gwynne,  extended  to  imperial  octavo, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  rare  portraits 
inserted,  bound  in  crimson  levant  by  Brad- 
street ;  Spooner's  Biographical  History  of 
the  Fine  Arts,  large  paper,  two  volumes,  ex- 
tei  ded  to  four,  by  the  insertion  of  one  thous- 
and engraved  portraits,  etchings,  drawings, 
etc. ;  Thespis  :  A  Critical  Examination  into 
the  Merits  of  the  Principal  Performers,  belong- 
ing to  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  by  Hugh 
Kelly — the  whole,  inlaid  to  folio,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  extra  prints  inserted,  with 
forty  various  portraits  of  Garrick,  and  many 
of  Mrs.  Bradly  and  others. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Palmer,  of  Union  Square  The- 
atre, is  engaged  at  the  present  time,  upon 
an  extensive  work,  relating  exclusively  to 
that  theatre.  It  consists  of  plays  produced 
there  with  their  cast,  portraits  of  actors,  in 
and  out  of  costume,  playbills,  also  manuscript 
biographies,  sketches  and  autobigraphies  of 
persons  in  anywise  connected  with  the 
theatre,  with  portraits  and  views.  It  is  to 
be  continued  indefinitely.  There  are,  up  to 
the  present,  six  large  folio  volumes,  inlaying 
by  Toedteberg. 

Nor  can  we  pass,  without  one  glance  of 
recognition,  the  collection  of  Curtis  Guild, 
Esq.,  of  Boston,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 


— 6o— 

Commercial  Bulletin.  He  is  owner  of  the  cele- 
brated Irving's  Washington,  illustrated  by 
Thomas  H.  Morrell,  to  ten  volumes,  quarto, 
by  the  insertion  of  eleven  hundred  prints,  in- 
cluding one  hundred  and  forty-five  portraits 
of  Washington  and  fifty  autographs.  It 
was  sold  at  the  Morrell  sale,  in' 1866,  to  Mr. 
Menzies,  for  two  thousand  dollars,  bound  in 
green  morocco,  by  Pawson  &  Nicholson. 
Mr.  Guild  is  making  extensive  and  valuable 
additions  to  this  magnificent  work.  A  com- 
panion to  this  famous  book  is  a  memorial  of 
Washington  Irving,  also  privately  illustrated, 
making  in  all  eleven  volumes  to  the  set.  These 
books  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Guild  at  private 
sale  in  1879,  from  the  heirs  of  the  former  own- 
er. Besides,  he  has  Chambers'  Book  of  Days, 
two  volumes,  extended  to  twelve,  each  vol- 
ume forming  one  month  ;  this  set  contains  an 
enormous  amount  of  curious  and  rare  matter ; 
also  Life  of  Bannister  extended  from  two  to 
four  volumes,  two  hundred  and  ninety -six 
prints  inserted,  nearly  all  proofs,  bound  by 
Riviere ;  Garrick's  Life,  by  Fitzgerald,  one  hun- 
dred extra  prints  ;  Ticknor's  Life  of  Prescott, 
from  one  to  three  volumes,  bound  in  maroon 
seal-skin,  elegantly  tooled  by  MacDonald  & 
Son,  Boston ;  Parton's  Life  of  Franklin,  from 
two  to  six  volumes,  with  over  three  hundred 


£  L'Jt  OFJS^JT     -M-4  If  A  Z  J 


From  a  Paintin- in  th  e  Pofpf si  aa  of  F.  Sdnrediauir.MD.m  Newman  St 


—  6i  — 

and  fifty  dollars  in  value,  of  autographs,  many 
choice  engravings  collected  by  Mr.  Guild, 
in  Europe,  bound  by  MacDonakl  &  Son,  in 
deep  ruby  sealskin  ;  Henry  Crabb  Robinson's 
Diary,  three  volumes  (Mr.  Robinson  was 
the  intimate  friend  of  Coleridge  and  \Yords- 
worth)  ;  Life  of  Forrest,  Doran's  Annals  of 
the  Stage  and  many  others. 

A.  S.  Manson,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  has  illus- 
trated many  local  histories  ;  he  has  also  a 
splendid  copy  of  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson 
in  twelve  octavo  volumes. 

Mr.  Thomas  J.  McKee,1  of  \Yest  Twenty- 
fourth  street.  New  York,  has  outstripped  all 
competitors  in  Ireland's  Records  of  the  New 
York  Stage  ;  he  has  extended  it  to  twenty 
volumes,  folio,  by  the  insertion  of  over  five 
thousand  prints,  portraits,  portraits  in  cos- 
tume, original  drawings  and  playbills.  This 
is  truly  a  Cyclopean  work:  we  shrink  from 
any  effort  to  convey  an  adequate  notion  in 

1  Thomas  J.  McKee  is  a  lawyer  and  a  native  of  New  York 
City.  He  was  born  in  1842.  His  parents  were  also  natives, 
of  the  city  of  New  York.  Mr.  ^lcK.ee  graduated  at  the 
College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  thence  studied  in  the 
law  school,  and  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  in  1863. 
He  early  acquired  a  taste  for  books  and  prints,  and  became 
a  collector  when  a  mere  boy.  His  library  contains  about 
6,000  volumes.  He  has  been  engaged  in  privately  illus- 
trating about  15  years,  and  takes  his  greatest  pleasure  dur- 
ing the  process  of  illustrating.  He  is  slow  to  have  his 
books  bound. 


—  62  — 

words  of  its  immensity;  and  while  we  were  ex- 
ploring  its  dramatic  treasures,  our  attention 
was  called  to  Doran's  Annals  of  the  Stage,  a 
companion  work,  also  extended  to  twenty 
volumes.  That  inimitable  impersonator  of 
Shylock, Othello  and  Richard — Edmund  Kean 
— is  memorized  in  two  hundred  portraits  in 
and  out  of  costume,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  eighty  playbills.  (  )f  David  Garrick,  the 
great  reformer  of  th  !i  drama  and  re- 

storer  of  Shakspeare  to  the  stage,  Mr.  McKee 
probably  has  the  largest  and  finest  collection 
in  America  ;  and  also  of  the  lives  of  the  Kem- 
bles  and  Mrs.  Siddons,  profusely  illustrated. 
Likewise,  there  is  i  \v  York, 

four   volume  :    \Vinthrop    Sar- 

gent's Life  of  Major  Andre,  extended  to 
four  volumes ;  and  Walton's  Angler,  the 
Pickering  edition  of  1836,  swollen  to  six 
thick  volumes.  But  of  all  the  illustrated 
books  in  this  collection,  prodigality  is  most 
conspicuous  in  a  large  paper  copy  of  Ga- 
briel Harrison's  Life  and  Works1  of  John 

1  There  was  a  work  called  The  Thespian  Mirror,  written 
by  John  Howard  Payne,  before  he  was  fourteen  years  old, 
and  published  by  Southwick  &  Hanicastle,  No.  2  Wall 
Street,  in  1806.  This  work,  I  believe,  has  become  very 
scarce.  I  have  never  seen  a  copy.  Mr.  C.abriel  Harrison. 
however,  had  access  to  one,  from  which  he  quoted  in  his 
Life  of  Payne.  The  only  perfect  copy  known  to  exist  was 
sold  at  the"  Philip  Hine  sale,  in  1875.  This  contained  the 
portrait  of  T.  A.  Cooper,  tragedian. 


MAJOR    JOHN    ANDRE. 


-63  ~ 

Howard  Payne,  extended  to  eight  volumes 
by  the  insertion  of  twenty-five  hundred  prints, 
portraits,  autograph  letters  and  playbills, 
among  which  is  a  playbill  of  Payne's  first  ap- 
pearance in  London,  June  12,  1813.  He  was 
manager  of  Sadlers-\\Vlls'  Theatre  in  1820. 
It  was  in  this  engagement  that  he  contracted 
debts,  for  the  non-payment  of  which  he  was 
thrown  into  the  debtor's  prison.  His  gener- 
ous jailer  accompanied  him  to  his  play  of 
"Therese,  the  Orphan  of  Geneva,"  and  it  was 
from  this  play  that  he  realized  money  enough 
to  satisfy  his  creditors.  There  are  in  this 
book  eight  portraits  of  Payne,  many  original 
drawings  and  a  painting  of  his  tomb  at  Tunis, 
executed  by  special  commission  for  Mr.  Mc- 
-1  Now  comes  an  excessively  beautiful 
and  interesting  little  book.  It  is  a  memorial 


1  The  colossal  bronze  bust  of  John  Howard  Payne  erected 
in  Prospect  Turk,  Brooklyn,  from  its  inception  to  its  final 
dedication,  is  as  distinctly  the  product  of  the  enthusiasm 
and  affection  of  Gabriel  Harrison  for  this  neglected  genius 
as  the  book  which  bears  his  name  as  author  upon  its  title- 
page.  The  Faust  Club,  of  Brooklyn,  came  into  being  in  a 
moment  propitious  for  the  carrying-out  of  a  long-cherished 
notion  of  Mr.  Harrison,  and  he  succeeded  in  infusing  hiss 
enthusiasm  for  the  work  into  many  of  the  members  of  the  Club. 
A  Monument  Committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  John 
Y.  Culyer,  Frederick  T.  Hoyt,  and  the  writer.  George  G. 
Barnard  acted  as  Treasurer  for  the  Committee.  This  or- 
ganization  resulted  in  the  erection  of  the  Payne  Memorial, 
And  the  Faust  Club  "spun  its  task,"  did  its  one  good  work, 
and  died. 


-64- 

of  Dr.  Alexander  Anderson,  first  American 
wood  engraver,  extended  to  eight  volumes, 
octavo,  by  the  most  charming  collection  of 
prints,  paintings  and  autograph  letters  that 
were  ever  brought  together  in  one  book ;  con- 
sisting of  two  hundred  prints,  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  drawings,  twenty  portraits  of  Dr. 
Anderson  ;  and  autograph  letters  of  Washing- 
ton, Franklin,  Hamilton,  Duyckinck,  Lossing, 
Anderson,  Dr.  Young,  William  Morgan,  Lan- 
sing and  about  one  hundred  others ;  also 
nearly  a  complete  set  of  Dr.  Anderson's  en- 
graved works.  This  book  has  been  the 
work  of  ten  years,  and  no  book  was  ever 
illustrated  with  more  pertinent  illustrations, 
or  formed  a  more  complete  series  of  bio- 
graphical events. 

The  last  two  named  works,  Payne  and 
Anderson,  are  more  than  illustrated  books, 
more  than  memorials,  they  are  monuments 
erected  by  a  warm  heart  to  commemorate 
unobtrusive  genius.  Fragile,  indeed,  are  such 
testimonials,  and  yet  they  are  more  enduring 
than  stone.  When  Cheops  erected  that  stupen- 
dous pile  of  granite,  the  great  pyramid,  Pi 
Rama,  the  Mountain,  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  perpetuate  his  name,  he  little  sus- 
pected that  an  insignificant  weed,  growing 
beside  the  Nile,  would  become  a  more  dura- 


GE  ORGE  the  HI .a 

Km  %  of  Great  Britain  xi 


-6;- 

ble  register  of  his  fame  than  all  the  quarried 
granite  of  Mokatan. 

The  preceding  sketch  enumerates  but  a 
small  portion  of  Mr.  McKee's  library,  for 
outside  of  this  illustrated  department,  the 
literature  of  the  stage  is  fully  represented. 
Also  early  American  history  is  represented  in 
many  works  of  the  extremest  rarity,  none 
of  which,  however,  are  pertinent  to  this  oc- 
casion. 

Mr.  Joseph  N.  Ireland1  has  illustrated  a 
copy  of  his  records  of  the  Ne\v  York  Stage, 
printed  on  Whatman  drawing  paper,  (only 
two  printed)  extending  it  to  eighteen  folio 
volumes  by  the  insertion  of  over  three  thous- 
and portraits  and  prints,  seventeen  hundred 
of  which  are  portraits  of  actors,  authors,  and 
musical  composers,  among  whom  are  Mac- 
ready,  Halleck,  Niblo,  Barton,  Rice,  Placide, 
Tyrone  Power,  John  Reese,  Madam  Vestris, 
Mrs.  Austin,  Mrs.  Wood  and  Mrs.  Vernon,  be- 
sides seven  hundred  rare  playbills.  I  le  has  also 
illustrated  the  English  stage  with  twenty-five 
hundred  illustrations ;  also  the  four  Georges, 
George  III.,  Queen  Charlotte,  and  William 

1  Mr.  Joseph  N.  Ireland  was  born  and  educated  in  the 
city  of  Nc\v  York,  but  has  resided  for  twenty-five  years 
past  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  during  which  time  his  leis- 
ure hours  have  been  devoted  to  the  preservation  and  arrange- 
ment of  materials  toward  a  history  of  the  Drama. 


—  66  — 

IV.,  extending  the  six  volumes  to  eighteen ; 
also  Walpole's  Noble  and  Royal  Authors,\vith 
a  profusion  of  the  finest  and  rarest  prints. 
But  the  most  tempting  of  all,  in  this  collec- 
tion, to  the  book-mad  fraternity,  is  the  Life 
of  Mrs.  Duff,  "  the  once  highly  distinguished 
actress."  This  work  is  by  Mr.  Ireland  himself, 
and  is  in  four  quarto  volumes  manuscript ;  it 
is  illustrated  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
portraits  of  actors  and  ac  >ne  hundred 

and  fifty-four  playbills,  with  her  name  and 
cast  upon  them  from  theatres  in  Boston, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washing- 
ton and  Pittsbuig. 

Of  the  numerous  illustrators  of  Ireland's 
records,  I  think  none  have  carried  it  to 
the  extent  and  variety  of  Mr.  Augustus 
Toedteberg1  of  Brooklyn.  (Mr.  McKee 
and  Mr.  Arnold  are  his  only  competitors. 
Mr.  Toedteberg  has  in  this  work  over 
five  thousand  portraits,  views,  and  dramatic 
scenes,  and  about  one  hundred  water  colors, 
drawings,  etc. ;  also  about  one  thousand  rare 
playbills :  it  is  a  stupendous  work  ;  probably 

1  Among  all  the  private  illustrators  of  American  literature 
none  are  entitled  to  more  credit  than  Mr.  Augustus  Toedte- 
berg. Born  in  Germany,  in  a  little  village  in  the  kingdom  of 
Hanover,  in  1824,  he  camr  .  i.  and  with 

all  the  disadvantages  of  foreign  birth  and  a  foreign  tongue, 
he  occupies  the  position  to-day  of  one  of  the  most  ac- 
complished illustrators  in  America, 


WILHELM     IV 


<- s/ss/t/s 


-67- 

the  greatest  on  the  drama  ever  attempted. 
To  affect  a  criticism  of  a  work  which  would 
require  a  week  of  six  hours  per  day  to  look 
over  is  absurd  ;  we  must  therefore  let  it  pass. 
But  his  master-piece  of  illustrated  treasures  is 
the  interesting  narrative  of  Nell  Gwynne  ;  it 
boasts  of  productions  from  the  hands  of  Lom- 
bart,  Faithorne,  Fisher,  Houbraken,  Picart, 
Vandreblanc,  L'Armesson  and  many  others: 
there  are  twenty  engravings  by  Yertue,  thir- 
teen by  Robert  White  ;  the  illustrations  are 
mostly  by  contemporaneous  artists,  and  are 
five  hundred  and  forty-two  in  number,  of  which 
twenty-two  are  portraits  of  Nell  Gwynne. 
There  is  an  extremely  rare  portrait — folio, 
proof  before  letter — of  \Villiam  III.,  by  Yer- 
kolije  :  another  on  horseback  by  Baron  ;  also 
portraits  of  Ilobbes  and  Dugdale,  by  Hollar. 
There  are  sixty-eight  folio  mezzotints,  nine- 
teen of  which  are  by  Faber,  four  by  Blootel- 
ing.  It  is  in  three  volumes,  large  folio,  and 
is  the  most  carefully  and  richly  prepared 
copy  of  Nell  Gwynne  I  have  yet  seen. 

In  looking  over  these  immense  folios,  we  feel 
transported  to  a  world  of  two  hundred  years 
ago.  There  is  Charles  the  Second,  Bucking- 
ham,  Rochester,  Grammont,  Sedley,  Killigrew, 
York,  Clarendon,  Dryden,  Lely,  Castlemaine, 
Stewart,  Nelly  and  the  Queen,  Evelyn  and 


—  68  — 

the  wondering  Pepys.  Here  is  everything 
to  make  up  the  old  regime,  except  the 
naughty  infelicities. 

We  observe  further  an  account  of  Ward's 
Statue  of  Shakspeare  in  Central  Park,  by 
Morrell,  with  three  hundred  prints  and  thirty- 
six  rare  portraits  of  Shakspeare,  two  folio 
volumes ;  also  The  Legend  of  Mary,  Queen 
of  Scots,  by  J.  Fry,  1810,  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  prints  added  ;  also  the  Games,  "A 
Night  wi'  Burns,"  by  Coutts,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  prints  inserted. 

A  very  remarkable  work  in  this  collection 
of  illustrated  books,  is  The  Pursuits  of  Liter- 
ature:  A  Satirical  Poem  in  Four  Dialogues, 
by  T.  J.  Mathias,  on  largest  paper,  with  four 
hundred  very  curious  and  rare  illustrations, 
extended  to  three  volumes  folio.  This  is  the 
poem  of  which  George  Stevens  said:  "  It  is 
merely  a  peg  to  hang  notes  upon,"  and  so  it 
would  seem  from  some  of  these  infamously 
libelous  appendages.  And  now  follows  prob- 
ably one  of  the  most  charming  historical  rari- 
ties of  Mr.  Toedtebcrg's  library  —  Egbert 
Benson's  Vindication  of  the  Captors  of  Andre", 
printed  on  Whatman  drawing  paper.  Of 
this  edition  there  were  only  five  printed. 
This  copy  is  illustrated  to  elegant  repletion 
with  entirely  proof  prints. 


MARIE  STUART. 


CHRONOLOGIES 

I  Ti-J.    N.n-mre  de  MARIE  STCART  (7  <Wc.). 
llciboitk  I   I'.r.-t      1" 

tump  me  Pnnpfc  II    -Ji  ..\.ir. 
""• 

I  "i!)|.     Al.nif  Slu. ul  >'rinli.iri|iif  i>"iir  I'Ecoss*. 
I'.ir,.    S..u  iii.iri.inf  i.vt-i-  H.,iMl,\     i!»|iiilletV 
l.-,i;ii.     RmtOMMMUU      -  -  .N  .1-.'  •!>•  J.u-,|.    VI  (1), 

1577.  M...I  ,!,•  i>.,,i, i,-v  .M .,!•;.,„,•  .,%,-,•  isoii.u.'ii. 

i  ."iSii.     .M  ,ii.     .•  i,'lu,i,''rii    \n-lcli-rrr.  C.iiptixitc. 
1.JS7.   Supplice  de  MARIE  SlUART  (18  feyrier). 


Among  the  Revolutionary  literature  of  this 
collection  is  the  Private  Journal  of  Margaret 
Morris  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  during  the 
Revolution,  privately  printed.  It  has  been 
extended  to  two  volumes  by  the  addition  of 
seventy-five  prints,  consisting  of  portraits  of 
Generals,  views,  etc.,  of  the  Revolutionary 
period.  Mr.  Toedteberg  has  also  illustrated 
the  Croakers,  with  five  hundred  prints.  Also 
the  old  favorite,  the  Bards  and  Reviewers, 
with  about  four  hundred  illustrations.  The 
materials  with  which  these  books  are  extend- 
ed are  of  the  choicest  character.  No  man 
has  a  keener  appreciation  of  a  good  print,  or 
a  stronger  aversion  to  a  bad  one,  than  Mr. 
Toedteberg. 

I  have  now  another  very  attractive  series 
of  works  on  the  drama  to  describe.  The  en- 
tire collection  is  the  handiwork  of  its  enthu- 
siastic and  accomplished  owner.  It  is  that  of 
Mr.  William  B.  Dick,1  of  the  firm  of  Dick  & 
,  Fitzgerald,  publishers,  Ann  street,  New  York. 
Mr.  Dick's  chef  d' ceuvre  is  an  illustrated  copy 
of  Doran's  Annals.  It  has  been  extended 
from  four  octavo  to  nineteen  folio  volumes, 

1  Mr.  William  B.  Dick  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
in  the  year  1826  ;  he  removed  to  New  York  in  1845,  and 
soon  afterward  engaged  in  the  publishing  business  in 
Ann  street,  near  his  present  location,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained. 


by  inserting  three  thousand  two  hundred  il- 
lustrations.  There  are  more  than  twenty-five 
hundred  portraits  of  actors  and  actresses. 
The  condition  of  the  prints  is  superb,  with  an 
unusual  percentage  of  proof.  There  are  thir- 
ty extremely  rare  portraits  of  Garrick  ; overone 
hundred  of  the  Kembles ;  some  very  i 
of  Mrs.  Siddons;  one  of  Cave  Underhill,  by  J. 
Faber;  one  of  Harry  1.  Faber,  Jr. 

— very  scarce,  probably  entirely  without  dupli- 
cate ;  Peg.  \Voffington  ;  tw<  >  very  rare  of  1  larry 
Woodward,  one  of  which  is  before  any  letter  ; 
Mr.  Cummins,  in  the  character  of  LCUS 

— extremely  ran  .  are  many  views,  and 

many  rare  playbills.     This  has  been  a  sue 
ful  effort  to  illustrate  with  contemporaneous 
prints.     I  have  no  hesitation  in  that 

beyond  all  peradventure  this  is  the  finest  and 
most  ex:  Doran  ever  illustrated  Next 

in  this  collection  is  the  Bards  and  Reviev 
by  Duyckinck,  New  York,  a  quarto.  This 
book  has  been  extended  to  four  volumes, 
quarto,  by  the  addition  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  prints,  mostly  in  proof  state.  It  con- 
tains  ninety  portraits  of  Byron.  Fitzgerald's 
Life  of  Garrick,  two  volumes  octavo,  extend- 
ed to  ten  octavo  volumes,  with  over  five 
hundred  illustrations — eighty-five  portraits  of 
Garrick.  all  rare — next  comes  under  review. 


.Lar.dan:hihlishod  byTi 


There  is  not  an  instance  of  the  violation  of 
good  taste  throughout  this  entire  book. 
Macaulay's  History  of  England,  five  volumes, 
is  extended  to  twenty-two  by  the  addition 
of  nearly  one  thousand  illustrations.  He  has 
Irving's  Sketch  Book,  one  volume,  quarto, 
artists'  edition.  In  this  volume,  Mr.  Dick 
has  brought  together  complete,  all  the  sets  of 
plates  engraved  for  the  work.  It  is  a  very 
valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of  en- 
graving. The  book  is  extended  to  five  vol- 
umes, bound  by  Matthews  in  green  levant. 
Grcville's  Memoirs,  three  volumes,  octavo, 
is  extended  to  eight  volumes.  Spooner's  Dic- 
tionary of  Painters  and  Engravers,  two  vol- 
umes, is  illustrated  by  several  hundred  illus- 
trations consisting  of  original  etchings  and 
engravings  of  nearly  all  the  engravers  men- 
tioned in  the  book ;  as,  Du'rer,  Rubens, 
Faithhorne,  Blooteling,  Houbraken,1  Vertue, 

1  Jacob  Houbraken,  the  eminent  Dutch  engraver,  who 
chit- Ily  excelled  in  portraits,  is  more  noted  for  boldness  of 
stroke,  brilliancy  of  color  and  correct  drawing,  than  for  re- 
liable accuracy.  Lord  Oxford  (Horace  Walpole)  says  that 
Houbraken  was  ignorant  of  English  history,  was  un inquisi- 
tive into  the  authenticity  of  drawings  transmitted  to  him, 
and  engraved  everything  sent.  There  are  two  instances  at 
least :  the  Earl  of  Somerset  and  Secretary  Thurloe,  are  not 
only  spurious,  but  they  have  not  the  least  resemblance  to 
the  persons  they  pretend  to  represent.  An  anonymous  but 
evidently  well-informed  writer  in  the  Gentleman 's  Magazine 
says  that  Thurloe's  and  about  thirty  others  are  copied  from 
heads,  painted  for  nobody  knows  whom. 


—  72  — 

and  others ;  also  Jesse's  George  III.,  three  vol- 
umes, extended  to  twelve.  Hogarth's  Musical 
Drama,  two  volumes,  is  extended  to  eight ; 
also  we  note  Queens  of  Society,  Wits  and 
Beaux  of  Society,  Literature  of  Society. 
Motley's  Dutch  Republic  and  History  of  the 
United  Netherlands,  nine  volumes,  extended 
to  fifteen.  This  is  a  captivating  set  of  books. 

Two  features  worthy  of  remark  about  this 
collection  are,  first,  the  excellent  condition  of 
the  prints;  secondly,  none  of  the  books,  ex- 
cept the  first-named  (Doran's  Annals),  have 
had  the  text  extended.  Mr.  Dick  has  many 
more  illustrated  books.  His  general  library 
consists  in  works  on  art  and  the  drama. 

The  collection  of  privately  illustrated 
books  on  the  drama  belonging  to  the  library 
of  Hon.  A.  Oakey  Hall,  is  deserving  of  em- 
inent mention  in  this  essay.  Among  them 
was  Shakspeare's  Complete  Works,  by  J.  O. 
Halliwell,  four  volumes  extended  to  eight, 
seven  hundred  inserted  prints ;  also  Shaks- 
peare's Plays,  edited  by  Howard  Staunton, 
with  four  hundred  and  twenty  prints,  mostly 
portraits  ;  The  Stage :  Both  Before  and  Be- 
hind the  Curtain,  by  Alfred  Bunn,  three  vol- 
umes, sixty-eight  prints  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  autographs  added,  including 
Charles  Dickens,  Sheridan  Knowles,  George 


,  C' 


'/  ///,  St 


—  73  — 

the  Fourth,  Tom  Moore,  and  William  the 
Fourth;  Thomas  Betterton's  History  of  the 
Stage,  including  Memoirs  of  Mrs.  Anne  Old- 
field  and  Nell  Gwynne ;  Retrospections  of 
the  Stage,  by  John  Bernard,  manager  of  the 
American  Theatre  and  secretary  of  the 
Beefsteak  Club,  illustrated  by  sixty-one  in- 
serted prints  ;  Mr.  J.  P.  Kemble's  Farewell 
Address  on  retiring  from  the  stage  in  1817, 
illustrated  with  seventy  proof  and  other 
prints ;  also,  Memoirs  of  Mrs.  Siddons  by 
Boaden,  one  hundred  and  three  inserted 
prints,  thirteen  different  portraits  of  Mrs. 
Siddons;  Memoirs  of  John  Bannister,  two 
volumes,  eighty  prints,  and  of  J.  1  )ecastro — 
this  is  a  handsome  copy  illustrated  with  six- 
ty-six inserted  prints,  portraits  of  distin- 
guished persons  ;  also  of  David  Garrick,  two 
volumes,  with  many  fine  prints  ;  Memoirs  of 
Mrs.  Jordan,  two  volumes,  one  hundred  and 
twelve  prints  introduced  ;  Colman  Family,1 
one  hundred  additional  portraits ;  George 
Frederick  Cooke,  ninety-three  theatrical  por- 
traits ;  Madame  De  Beriot,  many  rare  prints. 

1  Without  attempting  in  any  sense  to  discuss  the  ques- 
tion of  the  drama,  ' '  an  institution  that  has  developed  intel- 
lects like  Sophocles,  Terence,  Tasso,  Ariosto,  Sheridan, 
Shakspeare,  Rev.  James  Townley,  Lope  de  Vega,  Calderon, 
Corneille,  Moliere,  Schiller,  Goethe,  etc.,  does  credit  to  hu- 
manity, whatever  pope  or  priest  may  say." — John  A. 
Weisse,  M.  D. 


—  74  — 

There  were  also  Byron,  Nell  Gwynne,  John 
Ebers,  R.  J.  Lane,  Joseph  S.  Munden,  George 
Vandenhoff,  David  Wilkie  and  Abraham 
Raimbech  (Engraver),  all  illustrated. 

On  the  drama  there  are  still  many  eminent 
illustrators  to  whom  we  have  only  space 
to  refer — as  Mr.  J.  \V.  Poinier,  Jr.,  of  New- 
ark, N.  J.  He  has  illustrated  a  large-paper 
copy  of  Knight's  Shakspeare  with  lavish 
profusion  ;  also  Doran's  Annals,  by  the  addi- 
tion of  many  rare  portraits  ;  Fitzgerald's  Life 
of  Garrick,  and  many  others.  Mr.  Poinier  is 
an  eminent  and  enthusiastic  Shakspearian 
scholar. 

Mr.  R.  H.  H.  Steele,  of  Jersey  City,  has 
also  illustrated  some  works  on  the  drama — 
Doran's  Annals ;  Shakspeare's  works,  and 
others. 

Mr.  Stephen  H.  Price,  of  Philadelphia,  has 
a  noted  copy  of  Doran's  Annals,  and  other 
dramatic  works. 

Peter  Gilsey,  Esq.,  of  Xew  York  City,  has 
illustrated  Ireland's  Records  and  Doran's 
Annals  of  the  Stage.  A  great  many  fine 
prints  have  been  inserted  in  these  works. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Kemp,  of  New  York,  has  a  fine 
collection  of  dramatic  biography. 

T.  W.  Lawrence,  of  New  York  (inlayer), 
has  illustrated  a  splendid  copy  of  Doran's 


CLARA     MORRIS. 


—  75  — 

Annals,  extending  it  to  ten  volumes,  text 
not  inlaid.1 

Ogden  Goelet,  Esq.,  of  New  York  City, 
has  magnificently  illustrated  a  copy  of  Fran- 
cis* Old  New  York,  Ireland's  Records  and 
Cruikshank.  This  collection  contains  many 
other  works,  including  George  Daniels' 
Merrie  England  in  the  Olden  Time,  illus- 
trated by  the  author,  and  embracing  the 
original  drawings  for  the  engravings — some 
of  the  rarest  dramatic  portraits. 

H.  F.  Sewell,  Esq.,  of  New  York  City, 
has  a  finely-illustrated  copy  of  Spooiur's 
Dictionary  of  Painters.  Also  Hamerton's 
Etchings  and  Etchers,  with  many  other 
works  of  art. 

Dr.  Dudley  Tenney,  of  44  West  Twenty- 
ninth  street,  New  York,  has  accomplished 
some  remarkable  work  in  private  illustrating. 
It  has  been  the  pastime  of  his  leisure  hours 
for  the  last  twelve  years.  Dr.  Tenney  is  no 
exception  to  the  rule  that  the  noblest  work 


1  There  will  be  no  occasion  for  the  illustrators  of  the 
greatest  of  all  the  reproductive  arts — the  drama,  to  despair 
while  the  biographies  of  John  Brougham,  Edwin  Booth, 
Lester  Wallack,  William  E.  Burton,  Charlotte  Cushman, 
Adelaide  Neilson,  Joseph  Jefferson,  E.  L.  Davenport, 
John  Gilbert,  Mrs.  Scott-Siddons,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barney 
Williams,  Laura  Keene,  Matilda  Heron,  Mary  Anderson, 
Clara  Morris,  John  McCullough  and  Lawrence  Barrett  are 
still  unwritten. 


-76- 

in  this  department  of  art  has  been  accom- 
plished by  men  of  active  business  habits. 
He  has  illustrated  Dickens'  works,  enlarging 
it  to  thirty-three  volumes,  royal  octavo,  by 
the  addition  of  plates  from  every  known  edi- 
tion, and  some  remarkable  French  prints  and 
drawings ;  also  many  portraits  and  every 
view  mentioned  in  the  work.  The  book  is 
worthy  the  great  undertaking.  It  is  half- 
bound  in  morocco,  by  R.  \V.  Smith,  New 
York.  He  has  also  illustrated  I  Life 

of  Charles  Dickens  (Chapman  &  Hall,  Lon- 
don), extending  it  from  three  octavo  to  ten 
quarto  volumes,  by  the  insertion  of  many 
hundred  illustrations,  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred portraits  of  Dickens,  twelve  autograph 
letters  (of  Dickens  i,  playbills,  music,  views  in 
Europe  and  America,  illustrating  his  travels 
in  these  countries.  Also  Irving's  Memorial, 
extended  to  large  quarto,  containing  seventy- 
five  portraits  of  Irving,  besides  nearly  e 
person  mentioned  in  the  text  ;  and  Irving's 
Sketch  Book,  artist's  edition,  enlarged  to 
four  volumes,  each  article  containing  one  or 
more  original  drawings,  water-colors  or  pen- 
and-ink  sketches,  by  well-known  artists.  \Vc 
have  not  done  justice  to  the  collection  of 
Dr.  Tenney  in  this  brief  sketch. 

Thomas  H.  Morrell  was  for  many  years  one 


AIL  IE  SLOSHES  Hi 


s 


—  77  — 

of  the  most  active  illustrators  in  America. 
Among  the  works  illustrated  by  him,  most 
conspicuous  was  Dr.  Francis'  Old  New  York, 
in  nine  volumes,  folio.  It  was  sold  to  a 
NewYork  collector  for  thirty-six  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  Irving's  Life  of  Washington  ex- 
tended to  ten  volumes,  quarto,  sold  to  Mr. 
Menzies  (1866),  for  two  thousand  dollars,  from 
whom  Mr.  Viele  purchased  it,  and  at  his 
death,  in  1873,  it  went  to  Boston,  where  it 
now  remains.  He  illustrated  a  second  copy 
of  Irving's  Life  of  Washington  in  ten  volumes. 
This  copy  sold  (1870),  for  nine  hundred  and 
eighty  dollars.  He  also  extended  Ireland's 
Records  of  the  Stage  to  five  volumes,  quarto, 
which  he  sold  for  nine  hundred  dollars; 
Coleman's  Facts  and  Documents  Concerning 
the  Death  of  Hamilton,  one  volume,  quarto, 
two  hundred  dollars  ;  Custis'  Recollections  of 
Washington,  octavo,  three  volumes,  sold  for 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ;  New  York 
City  during  the  Revolution,  one  volume,  one 
hundred  and  forty  dollars.  These  books 
have  generally  found  resting  places  in  the 
libraries  of  the  mighty  collectors  of  New  York. 
But  the  greatest,  probably,  of  all  Mr.  Morrell's 
productions  was  the  Autobiography  of  Col. 
John  Trumbull,  enlarged  from  one  volume  to 
five  imperial  folio  by  the  insertion  of  one 


-78- 

thousand  portraits,  views,  etc.  This  was  cer- 
tainly a  very  wonderful  book.  It  was  ele- 
gantly bound  in  full  green  levant,  and  was 
purchased  by  John  Pierrepont  Morgan,  of 
New  York. 

Mr.  Hamilton  Cole,1  residing  in  St.  Mark's 
Place.  New  York,  has  a  small  but  very  select 
library  of  illustrated  books.  All  his  prints 
are  remarkable  for  their  purity  and  excel- 
lence. He  commenced  collecting  about  six 
years  ago,  and  modestly  styles  himself  an 
amateur.  To  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  a  man 
of  the  culture  and  attainments  of  Mr.  Cole  is 
an  event  in  one's  life  likely  to  linger  long  as 
a  fund  of  pleasant  memories. 

The  Pickering  edition  of  Izaak  Walton,  of 
1836,  two  volumes,  octavo,  enlarged  to  seven, 
royal  quarto,  by  the  addition  of  two  thou- 
sand prints,  water-colors,  drawings  and  many 
etchings,  artist  proof,  and  on  India  paper,  in- 
laid by  Trent,  and  bound  by  Matthews,  is  a 
production  of  that  quality  of  the  art  which 
recognizes  few  equals.  There  is  one  feature, 
however,  of  this  book  which  gives  it  an  ob- 

1  Mr.  Hamilton  Cole  is  a  lawyer  ;  he  is  thirty-six  years  of 
age  ;  was  born  at  Claverack,  New  York  ;  he  graduated  with 
salutatory  and  other  honors,  from  Vale  in  iSG6  ;  travelled  in 
Europe  after  graduation  ;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
New  York  in  1869;  and  is  now  engaged  in  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice  ;  his  father  is  a  physician  in  Hudson 
County,  of  which  county  he  is  a  native. 


' 


—  79  — 

vious  individuality  above  any  Walton  that  I 
have  yet  seen.  It  is  the  absence  of  the 
usual  quota  of  portraits  of  the  clergy.  In 
view  of  this  additional  testimony  to  good 
taste,  I  cannot  charge  my  friend  with  having 
maliciously  exiled  the  prelatic  orders  from 
his  book  ;  and  yet  the  conspicuous  absence 
of  these  ubiquists — "  gentlemen  of  the  cloth  " 
— will  ever  be  slightly  suggestive  of  prepense. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  nevertheless  a  mag- 
nificent book,  and  has  our  fullest  commenda- 
tions. 

His  copy  of  Dibdin's  Bibliomania  is  a  re- 
print, on  Whatman  drawing-paper,  of  the 
elegant  edition  of  1809,  extended  to  folio, 
with  two  hundred  and  fifty  prints,  mostly 
artist  proof  and  India  paper,  inserted.  Mr. 
Cole's  collection  of  Dibdin  reaches  fifty-four 
volumes  large  paper,  uncut,  uniform,  and  of 
matchless  beauty.  This  is  nearly  a  complete 
set — three  more  volumes  than  are  contained 
in  the  justly  celebrated  set  of  Mr.  Menzies 
which  sold  for  nineteen  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  dollars.  Many  of  them  are  illustrated 
by  the  rarest  prints,  some  from  private  plates. 

The  Book  of  the  Artists :  American  Artist 
Life,  by  H.  T.  Tuckerman,  is  by  immense 
odds  the  most  sumptuous  copy  of  this  work 
I  have  ever  seen.  It  contains  sixteen  hun- 


—  8o  — 

dred  prints,  autograph  letters,  drawings  and 
sketches,  most  admirably  adapted  to  the  text. 
Bound  by  Mattru 

Mr.  Cole  has  also  the  Life  of  Izaak  Walton 
by  Zouch  ;  Gosden  edition,  1826,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  contemporaneous  illustrations. 
Also  the  Print  Collector,  by  Maberly,  original 
edition  of  1844,  illustrated  by  original  en- 
gravings of  Diirer,  Rembrandt,  Van  Leyden, 
Callot,  Behm,  Aldegrever,  \Vicrx  (\Yicrix >, 
Waterloo,  Dietricy ;  also  proof  portraits  of 
the  artists  mentioned.  This  is  the  most  de- 
lightful book  in  the  collection. 

To  meet  the  Count  de  Saint  Simon  in 
twenty  volumes,  royal  octavo,  in  faultless 
condition,  with  seven  hundred  portraits,  near- 
ly all  proofs,  including  the  one  hundred  and 
eighty  portraits,  proofs  before  letters,  intend- 
ed for  the  book,  bound  by  Chambolle  Duru, 
in  polished  levant  with  inside  borders,  and 
watered  silk  linings,  is  a  luxury  likely  to  be 
enjoyed  not  more  than  twice  in  a  lifetime. 
It  is  a  magnificent  exhibition  of  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  French  in  the  art  of  engraving  one 
century  ago.  Such  is  the  character  of  Mr. 
Cole's  copy  of  this  famous  book.  There  is  also 
the  Life  of  the  plastic  Sheridan  illustrated  and 
extended  ;  and  a  sketch  of  the  Life  of  Goethe, 
the  German  Voltaire,  the  Dance  of  Death, 


—  8i  — 

and  many  others.  It  was  in  this  collection 
that  I  first  saw  an  original  Count  de  Fortsas' 
Catalogue.1 


1  The  most  noted  hoax  ever  perpetrated  upon  the  body 
elite  in  literature,  was  that  of  the  Comte  de  Fortsas'  sale 
catalogue  in  1840.  The  following  account  of  this  inimita- 
ble affair  is  an  extract  from  Philes'Philobiblion,  volume  II., 
page  75  : 

In  the  year  1840,  the  book  collectors  in  Europe  were 
greatly  excited  by  the  publication  of  the  sale  catalogue  of 
the  Count  J.  N.  A.  de  Fortsas.  This  little  volume  of  only 
fourteen  pages  contained  a  list  of  the  books  which  formed 
the  Count's  collection,  cortiposed  of  only  fifty-two  articles, 
each  of  them  unique.  The  Count  would  keep  no  book  in 
his  collection,  if  he  found  it  mentioned  by  any  bibli- 
ographer. No  wonder  the  bibliographical  world  was  ex- 
cited. 

The  sale  was  to  take  place  in  the  office  of  a  notary  of 
Binche,  an  insignificant  village  of  Belgium.  The  catalogues 
were  sent  to  the  great  collectors  of  France  and  England, 
and  each  recipient  supposed  himself  specially  favored,  anil 
each  kept  his  own  secret.  It  is  said  that  Brunei,  Nodier, 
Techene'r,  Renouard  and  other  bibliophiles  of  Paris  met  in 
the  stage  to  Binche,  each  one  having  hoped  to  steal  away 
unnoticed  and  have  the  game  all  to  himself. 

M.  Castian,  of  Lisle,  who  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
treasures  of  this  sale  (particularly  in  a  work  published  by 
Castman,  of  Tournay,  relating  to  the  Belgian  revolution  of 
1830,  the  entire  edition  of  which  had  been  suppressed,  this 
copy  fortuitously  being  saved),  seemed  a  little  incredulous 
about  this  wonderful  collection,  and  took  the  precaution  to 
make  some  inquiries  as  he  was  passing  through  Tournay 
concerning  the  book,  and  called  on  the  publisher.  M. 
Castman  had  forgotten  it,  but  his  foreman  recollected  it, 
and  the  author,  M.  Ch.  Lecocq,  perfectly.  This  at  once 
silenced  his  suspicions. 

The  Baron  de  Reiffenberg,  then  the  Director  of  the  Royal 
Library  of  Brussels,  asked  for  an  appropriation  to  purchase 
some  of  these  treasures,  which  was  granted.  His  commis- 
sion to  purchase  covered  the  entire  catalogue,  save  seven 
articles  which  were  thought  to  be  too  free  for  a  public 
library.  One  enthusiastic  bookseller  made  the  journey  to 


—  84  — 

The  unreserved  freedom  with  which  we 
were  invited  to  range  the  vast  laboratory  of 
historic  wealth  belonging  to  Dr.  Thomas  Ad- 
dis Emmet,  demands  from  us  more  than  a 
passing  acknowledgment.  Formal,  yet  warm- 
hearted, liberal,  an  ardent  and  unfeigned  lover 
of  books,  and  responsive  to  this  passion  in 
others,  no  man  ever  displayed  greater  pleas- 
ure or  a  more  genial  enthusiasm  than  he  in 
unfolding  hi  -torehouse  of  illustrated 

literature  to  us. 

\Ye  here  enter  a  repository  more  distinctly 
American  in  feeling,  fervor  and  munificence, 
than  any  we  ha\  and  we  at  once 

feel  an  attachment,  by  patriotic  response,  to 
a  collection  which  revivifies  the  significant 
eloquence  of  Pitt  and  Paine  and  Patrick 
Henry.  The  first  book  submitted  to  us  was 
the  Biographies  of  the  Signers  of  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence,1  by  John  Sanderson, 

stad,  1703  ;  London,  1831  ;6,  and  the  very  beau- 

tiful American  edition  by  Hon.  Samuel  Hand,  and  printed 
by  Munsell.  I  think  dates  are  correct,  but  I  am 

writing  from  memory,  away  from  my  1 

HAMILTON  COLE." 

this  work,  extended  to  nine  volumes  folio, 
with  nine  autograph  letters,  signed,  was  sold  at  the  Morrell 
sale  in  1869.  It  was  bound  in  half-green  morocco,  gilt 
edges.  It  fetcheil  $120. 

Of  the   fifty--  iaration  of  Independ- 

ence, it  is  stated  that  nine  were  born  in  Massachusetts  ; 
eight  in  Virginia  ;  live  in  Man  land  ;  four  in  Connecticut  ; 


DrrUnUum  «rt  tiif  (Zlmtrm  UmUi  itatirs  at'  Anirma 

'    l«' 

L^^, 


/JL^I/^//SU,^: 
**&-&*& 


-85- 

Robert  Wain  and  others,  in  nine  volumes. 
This  work  Dr.  Emmet  has  extended  to  twen- 
ty thick  volumes,  folio.  For  completeness 
and  detail,  this  I  believe  to  be  the  most  re- 
markable historical  work  in  the  world.  It 
contains  over  three  thousand  autograph  and 
autographic  letters,  eighteen  hundred  por- 
traits, many  of  the  greatest  rarity,  with  hun- 
dreds of  prints  and  drawings,  fourteen  water 
colors  of  American  scenery,  by  eminent  Eng- 
lish  artists  who  accompanied  the  British 
troops  to  America.  These  last  were  purchased 
at  the  sale  of  the  Marquis  of  Hastings,  by 
Dr.  Emmet,  at  $50  each,  and  are  a  most  val- 
uable acquisition  to  the  work.  There  are, 
besides,  many  hundreds  of  head  and  tail 
pieces  on  India  paper,  scattered  through  the 
book.  The  original  precept  of  King  George, 
with  his  signature,  ordering  out  the  first 

four  in  New  Jersey  ;  four  in  Pennsylvania  ;  four  in  South 
Carolina  ;  three  in  New  York  ;  three  in  Delaware  ;  two  in 
Rhode  Island  ;  one  in  Maine  ;  three  in  Ireland  ;  two  in  K up- 
land I  two  H1  Scotland  and  one  in  \\ales.  Twenty-one 
were  attorneys  ;  ten  merchants  ;  four  physicians  ;  three  farm- 
ers ;  one  clergyman  ;  one  printer  ;  sixteen  \\x-re  m<-'n  of  for- 
tune ;  eight  were  graduates  of  Harvard  College  ;  four  of 
Vale  ;  three  of  New  Jersey  ;  two  of  Philadelphia  ;  two  of 
\Villiain  and  Mary  ;  three  of  Cambridge,  England  ;  two  of 
Edinburgh  ',  and  one  of  St.  Omer's.  At  the  time  of  their 
deaths,  five  were  over  ninety  years  of  age;  seven  between 
eighty  and  ninety  ;  eleven  between  seventy  and  eighty  ; 
twelve  between  sixty  and  seventy  ;  eleven  between  fifty  and 
sixty  ;  seven  between  forty  and  fifty  ;  one  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  and  the  age  of  two  uncertain. 


—  86  — 

troops  to  suppress  insurrection  in  America ; 
an  original  manuscript  of  the  private  rules 
adopted  for  conducting  business  in  Coni; 
during  the  contest  for  independence,  in  four- 
teen small  quarto  pages — a  very  interesting 
relic ;  also  many  other  original  state  papers, 
all  having  the  greatest  historic  value  and 
significance.  It  contains  the  finest  collection 
of  autograph  letters  of  the  Signers  in  exist- 
ence,1 comprising  all,  except  Button  Gwinnett, 


1  It  may  not  be  uninteresting,  as  showing  the  value  set 
upon  the  autographs  of  some  of  the   -  crify, 

to  recapitulate  the  prices  paid  for  letters  in  their  hamlwrit- 

th  Fourth  street,  I'hiladelph 

A  letter  of  John  . .  .$10  oo 

9  oo 

iS,  1783 7  oo 

Abnr  10  oo 

1 9  oo 

\VilIi  July  8,  1778 1600 

•nin  Franklin,   ]  12  oo 

•uiture  only  to  draft 
of  1 no  oo 

pt.  12,  1785 00  00 

37  50 

Win.  1  looper,  July  if>,  17*2 32  50 

John  78 900 

Thomas    Lynch.    Jr.   (signature   only,  cut 

from  book) ' 95  oo 

There  is  a  perfectly  unique  letter  of  Thomas  Lynch,  Jr., 
in  this  collection  of    Dr.   Emmet,  the  value  of  which  is  be- 
yond any  estimate  which  we  dare  venture  to  state  here. 
A  letter  of  Francis  Lightfoot   Lee,  Jan.  14,  1769... $21  oo 

i      "        "     Lewis  Morris,   May  j  IOOO 

"     Thos.  Nelson,  April  7,  1782 10  oo 

"     R.  T.  Paine,    Jan.  9,  1787 10  oo 


/ 

'   ft  C  > 


>  >\  r<    t         ^    / 


/.      /\    C     /' 


r 


ivedhy  .i  !  !i  c  mi  an  Eivanxei  Pairi ting- 

ni  (In-   Pus^f-.-iM-iv.  <il'  Mv;>  K  l.yii'-li. 


^ — -^- 

Eiiujm*e<l-l»v.T..B.LGiJUJacre   troiu  UII.TI 

Paiuted  by  Copley   in    iTd5. 


JAMES  i. 


-87- 

of  Georgia,  and  John  Hart,  of  New  Jersey; 
of  these,  a  signature  only.  Six  months  may 
be  spent  with  profit  upon  this  wonderful 
book.  It  cost  over  twenty  thousand  dollars.1 

A  letter  of  Wm.  Paca,  Feb.  19,  1779  .............  $i  6  oo 

John  1'enn,  Oct.  4,  1786  ..............  27  50 

Edward  Rutledge  ....................  8  oo 

Roger  Sherman,  Feb.  14,  1792  ..........  2  I  oo 

J  os.  Smith  ..........................  1  8  oo 

Thomas   Stone,  April  27,  1783  .........  I  8  oo 

John  \Vitherspoon,  April  1  1,  1772  ......  I  I  oo 

Win    Whipple,  Oct.  3,  1764  ...........  1  4  oo 

"William  Williams,  March  I  7,  1772  ......  I  5  oo 

Oliver  Wolcott,  Feb.  29,  1776  .........  12  OO 

C.eo.  Walton,  April  22,  1773  ...........  16  OO 

Geo.  Wythe,  I  >ec.  22,  1773  ...........  '  6  oo 


1  :.    FOREIGN    BOOKS.  —  A  gentleman 

named  I'rowles  expended  over  $10,000  in  illustrating  a 
copy  of  Pennant's  London,  which  he  bequeathed  at  his 
death  to  the  P.ritish  Museum.  William  Bowyer,  renowned 
as  the  publisher  of  the  most  costly  edition  of  Hume's  Kng- 
land,  spent  the  leisure  hours  of  thirty  years  in  illustrating 
Macklin's  folio  Bible,  which,  after  his  death,  was  put  up  at 
lottery  by  his  daughter  among  4,000  subscribers,  ataguinea 
each.  It  contained  7,  txx>  prints,  representing  specimens  of 
the  work  of  600  different  engravers,  and  was  bound  up  in 
forty-Jive  stout  volumes.  A  copy  of  Clarendon's  Rebellion 
•  •piously  illustrated  by  Mr.  A.  II.  Sutherland,  of  Lon- 
don, at  an  expense  of  $50,000  !  In  this  work  there  was 
one  exgraving  alone  —  the  portrait  ot  James  I.  and  his 
Queen  —  which  cost  80  guineas.  This  noble  work,  with  a 
copy  of  Burnet's  Reformation,  contained  19,000  engravings. 
Both  of  these  works,  bound  uniformly  in  67  volumes,  now  or- 
nament the  shelves  of  the  Bodleian  Library.  There  was 
once  a  copy  of  Voltaire's  works,  in  90  volumes,  illustrated 
with  I3,ooo  engravings.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the 
labor  of  twenty  years.  The  celebrated  bibliomaniac, 
George  Henry  Freeling,  illustrated  a  copy  of  the  Biblio- 
graphical Decameron,  extending  it  from  three  to  eleven 
volumes  which  Dibdin  said  was  the  most  stupendous  triumph 
of  book-ardor  with  which  he  was  acquainted.  —  Bookworm^ 
Sabins  Bibliopolist,  Vol.  III.,  page  172. 


—  88  — 

The  historical  value  of  the  material  brought 
together  by  Dr.  Emmet  is  very  great  indeed, 
and  it  is  a  happy  thing  for  the  future  student 
of  American  history  that  men  of  means  and 
culture  take  pleasure  in  these  collections. 

There  are  three  distinct  items  in  Dr.  Em- 
met's method  with  all  his  illustrated  books 
— an  extra  title-page  to  every  volume,  with 
his  own  imprint ;  a  symbolic  frontispiece  for 
each  volume,  and  the  insertion  of  head  and 
tail  pieces  on  India  paper  at  every  convenient 
place  through  the  entire  book. 

Auxiliary  to  the  above-named,  and  nowise 
its  inferior,  except  in  size,  is  his  illustrated 
Griswold's  Washington  and  His  Generals1  — 
originally  in  two  volumes,  octavo,  extended 
to  eight,  folio,  by  original  autograph  letters, 
appointments,  commissions,  reports,  accounts, 
and  about  twenty-four  hundred  additional  il- 
lustrations, extra  title-pages,  frontispieces, 
head  and  tail  pieces,  etc.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  instances  in  which  the  text  of  these 
books  is  confirmed  by  the  presence  of  the 
original  manuscript  instrument  upon  which 

1  Among  the  illustrations  of  this  work  may  be  mentioned 
portraits  of  Major-Generals  Nathaniel  Greene,  Horatio 
Gates,  Baron  DeKalb,  Israel  Putnam,  Francis  Marion, 
Hugh  Mercer,  Thomas  Mifflin,  Henry  Knox,  the  Marquis 
de  Lafayette,  Joseph  Warren,  Baron  Steuben,  Anthony 
Wayne,  John  Stark,  Philip  Schuyler. 


s.  s 


MAJ.  GLN.  PHILIP    SCHUYLLR. 


BKW  YOKE.  O.P  TOTJUM  A  CO 


-89- 

it  was  based,  and  also  further  confirmed  by 
the  addition  and  insertion  of  the  page  of  the 
newspaper  announcing  it.  I  have  never  seen 
so  much  biographical  and  historical  informa- 
tion as  has  been  here  brought  chronologically 
together,  in  any  two  works. 

Winthrop  Sargent's  Life  and  Career  of 
Major  Andre,  large  paper,  from  one  volume 
to  seven,  with  about  two  thousand  illustra- 
tions, prints  and  watercolors,  and  original 
drawings,  chronologically  arranged,  is  a  de- 
lightful book.  A  large  paper  copy  of  Mary 
L.  Booth's  History  of  New  York,  is  a  laborious 
and  expensive  work — originally  in  two  vol- 
umes, now  eight  volumes,  folio.  Francis'  Old 
New  York  is  illustrated  up  to  five  volumes, 
octavo,  and  has  the  original  manuscript  of  the 
author,  in  one  extra  volume,  with  about  six 
hundred  and  twenty  choice  prints,  portraits, 
and  twenty-four  water- colors.  We  remark  also 
Maryland  Historical  Series  in  thirty-four  vol- 
umes; I rving's  Washington,  extended  to  ten 
volumes,  octavo,  with  one  hundred  and  ten 
portraits  of  Washington ;  Biographical  Sketch 
of  G.  C.  Verplanck,  by  Daly. 

Philip  Freneau's  Poems  is  extended  to  two 
volumes,  octavo,  with  two  hundred  prints, 
besides  head  and  tail  pieces.  These  poems 
were  written  during  the  Revolution,  and 


—  90  — 

were  noted  for  their  satire.  Death  of  James 
Wolfe,  by  Sabine,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
prints,  octavo,  bound  by  Bradstreet  ;  also, 
Shippen  Papers,  three  volumes,  profusely  il- 
lustrated. Loyalist's  Poetry  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, by  Sargent,  one  volume,  is  extended  to 
two  by  a  beautiful  selection  of  illustrations, 
mostly  proof.  There  is  also  Henry  A.  Brown, 
on  the  One  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  Car- 
penter's Hall,  Philadelphia.  I  can  conceive 
of  no  more  beautiful  American  series  than 
the  sixty-two  folios  above  described. 

Dr.  Emmet's  career  as  an  illustrator  began 
with  Boydell's  Shakspeare.  The  nine  folio 
volumes  were  extended  to  twenty  volumes 
by  the  insertion  of  over  three  thousand 
Shakspearian  characters  and  views,  with 
eighty  portraits  of  Shakspeare.  This  is  a 
stupendous  work.  (There  will  never  be  an 
end  of  the  Shakspearian.  i  It  is  half-bound 
in  crimson  morocco  by  Bradstreet. 

But  the  most  significant  work  of  Dr.  Em- 
met's life,  in  b<  'hree  illustrated  vol- 
umes, dedicated  one  to  each  of  his  sons. 
They  are  illustrated  by  painted  portraits  in 
miniature,  nearly  uniform,  and  vignettes; 
also  with  autograph  letters  and  many  water- 
color  views,  and  a  table  of  the  genealogy  of 
the  Emmet  family.  They  are  entitled,  re- 


^.u'  JOJUl  LJ. 


—  9i  — 

spectively,  "  The  Life  of  Thomas  Addis  Em- 
met and  His  Son,  John  P.  Emmet ;  Illus- 
trated by  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  for  His 
Son,  John  Duncan  Emmet ; "  "  Life  of 
Thomas  Addis  Emmet  ;  Illustrated  by 
Thomas  Addis  Emmet  for  His  Son,  Thomas 
Addis  Emmet,"  and  "  Life  of  Robert  Em- 
met ;  Illustrated  by  Thomas  Addis  Emmet 
for  His  Son,  Robert  Emmet."  They  are 
profusely  and  elegantly  illustrated  with  the 
usual  extra  title  and  symbolic  devices.  I 
can  conceive  of  no  more  appropriate  memor- 
ial from  a  father  to  his  sons  than  these  three 
matchless  volumes.  May  they  long  remain 
the  lares  and  penates  of  his  patriotic  family! 

The  preceding  sketch,  while  it  does  enu- 
merate the  most  important,  does  not  include 
all  the  illustrated  books  of  Dr.  Emmet. 
How  he  managed  to  accomplish  so  much — 
so  vast  an  amount  of  work — amid  the  com- 
plexities of  an  extensive  medical  practic 
a  mystery  to  all  his  overworked  friends.  I  le 
has  in  the  meantime  produced  several  works  of 
the  highest  merit  on  medical  jurisprudence. 

Independently  of  the  foregoing,  Dr.  Em- 
met's library  contains  a  great  number  of  the 
early  and  rare  editions  of  American  histori- 
cal works.  He  also  has  an  extensive  profes- 
sional library. 


—  92  — 

Dr.  Emmet  has  devoted  but  little  atten- 
tion to  ornamental  bindings ;  strength  and 
durability  are  considerations  with  him  far 
more  desirable  than  beauty.  His  books  are 
generally  done  up  in  the  very  best  of  Brad- 
street's  half-binding,  by  no  means  inelegant, 
and  for  durability  cannot  be  surpassed. 

Mr.  Charle-  C  Moreau.  <>f  ]22  West  Forty- 
eighth  Street,  New  York,  for   many  years  in 
the   insurance   busiiu---.   has   been    collecting 
prints  and  forming  illustrated  books  for  < 
thin  The  first  impulse  given  in  this 

direction  was  on  seeing  John  Allan's  collec- 
tion. Mr.  Moreau  has  illustrated  the  Brad- 
ford Club  edition  of  the  Croakers,  extending 
it  to  two  volumes,  folio,  by  the  insertion  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  prints,  auto- 
graph 1.  ,;ul  the  original  manuscript 
preface  by  V..  A.  Duyckinck;  Fitzgreene 
1  1 ,. Heck's  Poetical  \Yorks,  extended  to  two 
volumes,  quarto,  by  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  prints  and  autograph  letters  ;  Memorial 
of  Washington,  by  Irving,  seventy-five  prints, 
twenty-five  different  portraits  of  Irving: 
Dunlap's  History  of  the  American  Stage, 
extended  to  four  volumes,  over  three  hun- 
dred prints  added  ;  Memorial  of  Alexander 
Anderson,  First  American  Wood  Engraver, 
two  copies,  three  hundred  prints  inserted, 


/        'S/1'IHfl. 

,'  ,/ 


—  93- 

many  rare:  woodcuts  by  Anderson  and  other 
early  American  engravers.  Mr.  Moreau  has 
also  illustrated  Francis'  Old  New  York,  ex- 
tending it  to  five  volumes,  quarto,  by  eight 
hundred  prints;  also  Irvine's  Life  of  Wash- 
ington, quarto,  containing  upwards  of  four- 
teen hundred  prints,  in  ten  volumes,  and  two 
supplementary  volumes,  containing  upwards 
of  six  hundred  different  portraits  of  Wash- 
ington; Duyekinck's  Cyclopedia  of  Ameri- 
can Literature,  in  nine  volumes,  quarto,  with 

ii  hundred  prints  and  autograph  let*. 
I        -ing's  (  )ur  Country,  extended  to    ten  vol- 
umes,   upwards    of    fifteen   hundred    prints  ; 
Tuckerman's   Book    of    Artists,   oct, 
tended  to  four  volumes,  five  hundred  engrav- 
ings.     Hut  the   greatest   of  all  the   works  of 
Mr.  Moreau  is  the  Records  (not  Ireland's)  of 
the  New  York  Stage  from  the   Larli- 
to  the  Present  Time.     Of  this  gigantic  work 
he  has  forty  quarto  volumes,  illustrated   by 
nearly    nine  thousand  prints,   playbills,    and 
autograph  letters.     This  is  truly  a  wonderful 
work,  and  as  a  record  it  is  probably  the  com-' 
plctest    in   existence.     We  also   find   in   this 
unique   collection  of  Americana   Disosway's 
Earliest  Churches  of  New  York,  two  volumes, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  prints  ;  Maud's 
Visit   to   Niagara  Falls,  with  three  hundred 


—  94  — 

different  views  of  the  Falls ;  Taylor's  Recollec- 
tions  of  Leslie,  the  artist,  ninety-six  prints ; 
Richard  Rush's  Residence  at  the  Court 
of  London,  ninety-two  prints  ;  Obsequies  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  by  the  New  York  Com- 
mon Council,  one  hundred  prints  inserted ; 
Moore's  Diary  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  many  others.  These  books  are  more 
than  usually  interesting,  inasmuch  as  Mr. 
Moreau  commenced  many  years  ago,  invent- 
ing his  own  method,  from  which  he  has  never 
departed,  notwithstanding  the  innovation  of 
more  stylish  methods.  He  has  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  privately-illustrated  books 
in  his  collection,  entirely  the  work  of  his  own 
hands. 

There  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  James  E. 
Mauran,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  a  magnificent 
work,  the  product  of  his  own  industry  and 
taste.  It  is  Sir  John  Froissart's  Chronicles 
of  England,  France  and  Spain,  and  the  Ad- 
joining Countries.  The  original  work  was  in 
two  volumes,  royal  octavo,  which  he  has  il- 
lustrated and  extended  to  twelve  volumes, 
quarto,  by  the  addition  of  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty-six  illustrations,  of  which  fifty  are  il- 
luminations of  his  own  painting,  and  two 
hundred  colored  from  books ;  the  remainder 
are  prints,  portraits  and  views.  The  paper 


ABRAHAM  LDNCT; 


' 


1  1 


w  STAND  .  '  HTO^/fl,  HARDIN  CO..  K 

HJH   was  an 
:,  he 


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6 


'ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


FORD'S  THEATRE 

Tenth  Street,  Washington.  D.  C 

Friday  Even'g,  April  H,  1865 


THIS    EVENING 
The  performance  will  be  honored  by  the 

•:ce  of 
PRESIDENT    L I N  C  O  L  N . 


BENEFIT  ..  ::n: 

I,  A  1  "I?    \      K  KKITIC 
The  Distinguished  Manageress.  Authoress, 

ami  Actress,  supported  by 
MR.  JOHN  I 
MR.  HARRY  HAWK. 

:  .        -      •  •.:,.••-.  ..    .       r, 

nallr   produced  in  America  by  HIM  Tim. 
•ad _pcrfonw<l  IT    hrr   upvi- 

o.v/;  7//o/  ^  1  M>  .%/,.//•/> 

entitled 

Our  American  Cousin. 

noriDOi Trmnhirl,    MtaLnnZMM 

AML  MC»COTT,  .'  no  I>,   • 

A«A  Tam-BiBP.  Htur  H.--K 

irJTRBetMrd. 

Lord  DuadrruT.  X  A.  Eowrm 


O.  A.  Pwkhunt  tMd  L.  JohaMC 


Tm. 

Orchestra,  <1.IO       Dren  Circle  and  Paran 

Family  Circle,  2i       Private  BOXM,    .    «d 

J.  B.  FORD. 


I  H.  Polkinborn  *  Son.  IMntcr«.    WMt 
Entered  br  Act  of  COH.TCU  K-ra.  bj  A.  O.  i  ~A>E  4 
Co.,  [bj  whom  nchu  arr  for  •  »lc.]  BO«OB, Ma...  to 

...:...    •   .  -     ,.  v.:,  ;,;.;  :,;,,•;• 


1 


—  95  — 

upon  which  some  of  the  engravings  are 
printed  bears  the  watermark  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  thus  determining  the  question  of 
authenticity.  Each  volume  has  an  illumi- 
nated title-page  of  Mr.  Mauran's  own  com- 
position. He  has  also  illustrated  the  Life  of 
Francisco  Petrarcd.  Of  this  beautiful  book 
he  has  two  sets.  Also  Reviews  of  the  vari- 
ous editions  of  Petrarch,  illustrated;  Re- 
views of  the  editions  of  Chaucer;  Louisa 
Stuart  Costcllo's  Early  Poetry  of  France, 
from  the  Times  of  the  Troubadours  and 
Trouveres  to  the  Reign  of  Henry  Fourth, 
two  sets;  Life  of  Johanna  of  Naples;  Ivan- 
hoe  ;  Agnes  Sorel ;  Pope's  Rape  of  the  Lock, 
inlaid  to  royal  quarto,  with  many  proof 
prints,  bound  by  Tarrant ;  History  of  Flagel- 
lation, etc. 

Upon  a  little  close  observation  of  men  of 
literary  tastes,  or  bookmen,  we  can  make  a 
diagnosis  of  the  case,  ad  Jiouiiticiti,  and  deter- 
mine, with  a  fair  degree  of  certainty,  which 
ot  the  standard  works — Dibdin,  Boswell's 
Johnson,  Izaak  Walton,  Nell  Gwynne,  Ire- 
land's Stage,  Irving's  Washington,  Old  New 
York,  or  the  Signers — would  probably  allure 
its  votary  into  the  greatest  extravagance, 
should  he  fall  a  victim  to  this  malady.  For  a 
man  may  be  as  distinctly  known  by  the  books 


-96- 

he  reads  as  by  the  company  he  keeps.  A  com. 
panionship  of  good  books,  as  certainly  as  a 
companionship  of  good  men,  is  an  aesthetic 
sanctuary  and  a  moral  bulwark.  As  Words- 
worth says — 

*        *        *         "  Books,  we  know, 
Are  a  substantial  world,  both  pure  and  good, 
Round  which,  with  tendrils  strong  as  flesh  and  blood. 
Our  pastime  and  our  happiness  can  grow. " 

I  shall  not,  therefore,  be  obliged  to  apolo- 
gize for  the  information,  which  may  seem 
prophetic  to  some  members  of  this  club, 
that  the  worthy  President  of  this  Association, 
Henry  T.  Cox,  Esq.,  is  engaged  on  a  match- 
less copy  of  Walton's  Complete  Angler.  N<  't- 
is it  strange  that  he  should  have  been  capti- 
vated by  the  amiable,  kindly  nature  which 
breathes  through  e  e  of  this  book, 

"its  communion  with  Nature  inhaling  her 
freshest  influences,  and  partaking  insensibly 
of  her  unaffected  graces,"  by  the  genial  spirit 
of  contentment  and  repose  which  it  inspires, 
and  by  its  simplicity  of  style,  so  agreeable  to 
the  man  of  culture.  Our  President  read  the 
gentle  Izaak,  and,  seduced  by  the  brilliant 
example  of  the  illustrated  first  quarto  edition 
of  Bagster  by  Symond  Higgs,  with  three  hun- 
dred proof  prints  and  drawings,  and  bound 
by  the  peerless  Gosden,  caught  the  malady, 


'' 


'/' 


/'////, 


-97- 

and  has  sinned.  His  copy  is  far  advanced 
toward  completion.  It  has  two  hundred 
water-colors,  one  hundred  and  thirty  etch- 
ings, and  seven  hundred  prints,  proofs,  and 
on  India  paper.  For  the  title-pages  of  this 
marvelous  book  it  is  contemplated  to  have 
original  water-color  designs,  executed  by 
Darley.  The  cost  of  this  work  is  the  secret 
of  its  owner.  1  can  only  say  it  is  a  luxury 
the  indulgence  in  which  nothing  short  of  a 
golden  Chersonesus,  or  the  yield  of  an  Kldo- 
raclo,  can  survive.  And  while  1  must  myself 
also  confess  to  the  same  gentle  weakness,  my 
ambition  has  been  satisfied  in  swelling  this 
dear  little  volume  of  Pickering  to  three  vol- 
umes, with  no  loss  of  its  original  individual- 
ity, by  the  insertion  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty  prints,  exclusively  on  its  natural  his- 
tory— fishes,  birds,  r  uul  fish- 
ing -  Mr.  Cox  has  also  illustrated  a 
large-paper  copy  of  the  Letters  of  Madame 
Sevigne,  who,  according  to  Lamartine,  was 
the  representative  woman  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Her  letters  rank  as  models  in  the 
world  of  epistolary  literature  to-day.  This 
work  is  extended  to  fourteen  volumes  by 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  extra  illustrations, 
chiefly  proofs,  many  in  three  stages,  elegantly 
bound  in  crimson  levant  by  Bertrand,  orna- 


_98- 

mented    in    mosaic  outside.     Also  Nicholas 
Boileau  (the  friend  and  companion  of  Racine 
and  La  Fontaine),  Didot's  edition  (250  copies 
only),  royal  folio,  extended  to   two  volu: 
with  extra  prints,  comprising  rare  portraits  in 
early  states,  by  Nanteuil,  Masson.  Van  Scliup- 
fern  and  others;  also  the  original  dra\\ 
by  Marrilier   Picart,  etc.,  done    expressly   for 
this    work,   with   the    etchings    and    finished 
prints  from  the  same ;    full   bound   in  gros- 
grain  levant  by  Chambolle  Duru.     Also  Don 
Quixote,  extended  from  two  to  four  voh, 
folio,  illustrated  with    a    profusion  of  pi 
including  the  set  by  Smirke,  in   tw. . 
also  the  series  by  \Vestall,   Tony  Joha:, 
Deviera,  Dore,  etc.,  bound  in  crimson  levant 
by  Chambolle  Duru  ;   also  Boswell's  literary 
leviathan,  Sam  Johnson,  one  volume,  extend- 
ed to  six,  with  over  one  thousand  added  prints, 
imperial  octavo,  full  levant,  by  Riviere.    This 
is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  bonkmaking. 
seph  Spence,  prebendary  of   Durham   Cathe- 
dral, large  paper,  is  extended  to  three  volu: 
with  many  portraits  of  1  five 

hundred   inserted   prints,  bound  by  Wright ; 
also  Knight's  London,  six   volumes,  oct 
with  six  hundred  added  prints:  New  York  City 
During  the  Revolution,  with  many  autograph 
letters  of  the  early  Governors  and   Mayors, 


-99- 

and  of  the  early  Presidents  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,1  imperial  octavo,  is  bound  by 
Matthews.  The  Everett  Memorial,  with  two 
hundred  rare  portraits  and  prints,  is  bound  in 
full  crushed  levant  by  Matthews.  Mr.  Cox's 
library  is  otherwise  marked  by  its  splendid 
collection  of  works  on  art  and  general  litera- 
ture. 

I  must  just  here  interpose  my  demurrer  to 
what  I  conceive  a  refined  barbarism  in  book- 
illustrating  or  unique  book-making.  It  is  the 
destruction  of  a  fine  book — maybe  a  large- 
paper,  privately-printed,  and  a  rare  edition — 
by  building  up  or  extending  the  leaves  to 
take  in  large  prints.  Better  to  have  the 
prints  left  out  altogether  than  utterly  to  de- 
stroy an  elegant  book  beyond  identification, 
first,  in  overdressing  it,  and  then  burthen- 
ing  with  prints  never  intended  for  any  book. 
Infinitely  more  charming  is  a  small  book — at 
largest  a  royal  octavo — discreetly  illustrated 
with  a  few  prints  which  gracefully  become  it, 
than  a  plethora  of  illustrations  coerced  into 
the  service.  I  am  familiar  with  all  the  argu- 
ments urged  in  behalf  of  the  custom  of  ex- 
tending the  text  of  a  fine  book,  and,  in  the 


1  The  first  six  of  whom  were  John  Cruger,  Hugh  Wal- 
lace, Elias  Desbrosses,  Henry  White,  Theophylact  Bache 
and  William  Walton. 


—  100  — 

expression  of  my  judgment,  may,  like  Goethe, 
**  promise  to  be*  honest,  but  impartiality  is 
impossible ;  "  for  none,  nor  all,  of  the  rea- 
sons can  justify,  from  my  point  of  view,  the 
breaking  up  of  a  beautiful  book,  already  cel- 
ebrated, and  sacrificing  its  individuality  to 
the  convenience  of  at  best  a  few — and  fre- 
quently a  few  quite  ordinary — prints.  But, 
notwithstanding  my  demurrer,  or  the  remon- 
strance of  my  feeble  pen,  men  of  the  high- 
est culture  will  continue  to  build  up  their 
books  whenever  it  pleases  their  caprice  ;  for — 

"  Tis  a  weakness  of  the 
To  choose  the  volume  by  the  size, 
And,  in  its  pond'rousness  to  prize 

Dear  copies  printed  on  large  paper." 

Nor  must  we,  in  this  synopsis,  omit  to 
mention  a  most  estimable  gentleman  and 
friend — Hon.  Charles  C.  Jones,  of  Georgia, 
for  many  years  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  now 
of  Augusta,  Ga.  He  introduced  some  new 
features  in  book  illustrating.  Mr.  Jones  is 
the  author  of  many  learned  works  on  archae- 
ology, ethnology,  and  kindred  sciences. 
Among  his  illustrated  books  is  the  Siege  of 
Savannah,  in  1779,  translated  from  the  origi- 
nal journal  in  the  possession  of  J.  Carson 
Brevoort.  This  book  he  has  illustrated  at  a 


—  101  — 

cost  of  six  hundred  dollars.  Also  the  Siege  of 
Savannah,  in  1864.  Also  the  Life  of  Tomo- 
Chi-Chi,  a  Georgia  chief  who  visited  Europe 
in  1734,  with  Governor  Oglethorpe.  The 
last  has  many  illustrations,  including  a  por- 
trait of  the  chief  taken  in  Europe,  and  res- 
cues from  oblivion  the  memory  of  a  noble, 
generous  and  true  man.  "  We  search  in 
vain,"  says  Mr.  Jones,. "  for  a  single  instance 
of  duplicity,  a  doubtful  word,  a  breach  of 
faith,  a  criminal  indulgence,  or  a  manifesta- 
tion of  hypocrisy,  and  whose  sentiments  at 
times  were  not  unworthy  a  disciple  of  Plato." 
From  this  we  pass  to  the  Antiquities  of 
Southern  Indians.  This  book  has  many  draw- 
ings and  sketches.  Also  we  note  The  Rulers 
and  Governors  of  Georgia,  from  the  Earl  of 
Egmont  to  the  Present  Time,  with  portraits, 
autographs,  prints  and  maps  relating  to 
Georgia ;  also  Life  of  Commodore  Tatnall. 
These  are  all  his  own  works.  He  has  likewise 
illustrated  Colonel  Tarleton's  Campaign,  a 
work  minute  in  the  detail  of  military  opera- 
tions in  both  Carolinas  and  part  of  Virginia, 
up  to  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  in  1781; 
William  Johnson's  Life  Sketches  of  Major- 
General  Nathaniel  Greene  ;  Life  of  Pulaski, 
etc.,  etc.  But  the  greatest  and  most  import- 
ant of  all  his  productions,  from  an  historical 


102 

point  of  view,  is  a  work  based  upon  the  roster 
of  the  Confederate  army,  consisting  of  auto- 
graphs,  original  letters,  original  army  orders 
commissions,  instruments  relating  to  the 
State,  portraits,  prints,  maps  and  plans  of 
battles,  all  of  which  he  has  extended  to  folio, 
in  ten  thick  volumes — inlaying  done  by 
Toedteberg,  Trent  and  Lawrence.  Mr. 
Jones  has  illustrated  over  one  hundred  vol- 
umes, has  produced  seven  or  eight  scientific, 
historical  and  biographical  works,  and  has  de- 
livered lectures — all  while  living  in  Brooklyn, 
from  1865  to  18/9.  During  the  same  time  he 
was  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Ward,  Jones 
&  Whitehead,  of  New  York. 

I  must  here  again  call  attention  to  the 
enormous  results  from  the  labor  of  one  man, 
and  it  does  seem  to  me,  from  abundant  ex- 
ample, that,  with  a  proper  regard  for  physi- 
cal health,  attention  to  exercise,  proper  as- 
similation of  food,  it  is  difficult  to  put  more 
mental  work  upon  a  man  than  he  can  bear. 
It  is  worry  and  fret  which  kills — indigestion 
consumes  the  brain,  and  clogs  up  the  avenues 
of  thought  more  than  work.  Parallels  to  this 
irresistible  energy  are  not  merely  demonstra- 
i  ble,  but  are  demonstrated  in  the  men  who 
have  moved  the  world — as  Mahomet,  Luther, 
Knox,  Calvin,  Franklin,  Paine  and  Lincoln. 


EDITORIAL    CHAIR    OF   "THE    TRIBUNE." 
Drawn  and  Enpraved  for  PUTNAM'S  MAGAZINE. 


Caesar  wrote  his  essay  on  Latin  Rhetoric 
while  crossing  the  Alps  ;  Macaulay  wrote  his 
Lays  of  Ancient  Rome  in  the  W7ar  Office; 
Gladstone  wrote  his  Juvcntus  Mundi  during 
an  unparalleled  political  struggle  ;  and  our 
own  Horace  Greeley  produced  the  Great 
American  Conflict,  a  work  of  as  much  correct 
thought  as  ever  issued  from  the  American 
press,  during  the  busiest  part  of  a  marvel- 
ously  busy  life.  And  even  among  recent 
French  statesmen,  with  whom  politics  is 
ever  an  exacting  profession,  we  find  men 
whose  greatness  consists  rather  in  their  over- 
work than  in  the  business  of  their  lives,  as 
De  Tocqueville,  Thiers,  Guizot  and  Lamar- 
tinc ;  even  Napoleon  III.  earned  a  seat  in  the 
Academy  by  his  Life  of  Caesar. 

From  these,  and  from  all  recorded  experi- 
ence, it  does  seem  4<  that  the  hollowest  of  all 
dogmas  is  the  dogma  of  ease  and  comfort." 

Mr.  William  L.  Andrews,  of  New  York, 
has  made  a  collection  of  illustrated  books, 
principally  on  America,  eminently  worthy  of 
our  consideration.  Mr.  Andrews  is  an  ardent 
lover  of  fine  books.  His  Irving's  Wash- 
ington— the  product  of  this  passion — is 
a  superb  work,  extended  from  five  to  ten 
volumes,  by  inserting  eight  hundred  prints 
and  fifty-nine  portraits  of  Washington, 


—  104  — 

some  of  which  were  of  the  greatest  rarity. 
It  was  bound  in  blue  morocco,  and  sold  for 
nine  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  at  the  Rice 
sale,  in  March,  1870.  This  collection  also 
contained  Mrs.  Bray's  Life  of  Thomas  Stoth- 
ard. 

He  also  illustrated  Samuel  Pepys'  inimitable 
Diary.     It  is  strange  that  a  work  like  IVpys' 
Diary  should  have  attracted  so  little  of  the  at- 
tention of  book  illustrators,  for  no  b< 
written  has  thrown  such  a  flood  of  light  upon 
the  history,  social  customs  and  manners  pre- 
vailing about  the  close  of  the  Seventeenth 
and  the  opening  of  the  Eighteenth  Centr 
as  this  gossipy1  book.  first   became 


1  Pepys  in  his  Diary  makes  re;  1  old 

book-worm  whom  he  knew.  niith, 

of  Little  Moorfields.      "He  wa-  rrson 

infinitely  curious  and  inquisitive  after  books,  and  si 
nothing  to  escape  him  that   fell  within  the   •  f  his 

learning —  more  than  he  knew 

how  to  use."  From  other  sources  we  find  that  this  Smith 
had  collected  a  great  mass  of  historical  works,  and  that  he 
was  also  a  collector  of  .M>S.  He  died  in  1675.  After  the 
decease  of  this  worthy  old  bibliomaniac,  it  was  prop< 
buy  his  library  by  public  subscription,  but  eventually  it  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  bo.  iswell,  in  St.  Paul's 

Churchyard,  who  printed  a  catalogue  of  the  books,  and  sold 
them  at  auction  in  1682.  The  prices  some  of  the  Caxtons 
fetched  would  make  a  modern  Caxtonian  xton's 

Chronicle  of  England,    35,  6d.      Mirrour  of  the  \Vorld,  55. 
History  of  Jason,  55,  id.     Recueilles  of   the   Ilistor 
Troy,  35.    Book  of  Good  Manners,  2s.   Game  of  Chesse,  135. 
Vites  Patrum,  8s.      Godfrey  Bulloignc,    iSs.      Translation 
of  Virgil's  yEneads,  35.     Pilgrimage  of  the  Soul  ;  Chasten- 


,     \y  Longman.  Browa  fc  C° 


-105- 

known  to  the  world  as  a  diarist  in  1825  ;  and 
Jeremy  Collier  speaks  of  him  as  a  philosopher 
of  the  severest  morality.  One  thing  is  pretty 
certain  ;  he  has  gained  a  celebrity  entirely 
without  intention  on  his  part. 

Mr.  E.  Bement,  of  Staten  Island,  is  a  gen- 
uine bibliophile,  and  has  made  some  valuable 
contributions  to  its  technics.  He  has  exten- 
sively illustrated  Macaulay's  Histo/y  of  Eng- 
land, Walton's  Complete  Angler,  and  other 
historical  works. 

Nor  is  William  A.  Eraser,  of  New  York  City, 
a  novitiate  in  the  art  of  illustrating  books. 
He  has  illustrated  Francis*  Old  New  York ; 
Winthrop  Sargent's  Life  of  Major  Andre  ; 
Life  of  Benjamin  Franklin ;  Irving's  Wash- 
ington ,  and  other  biographical  works. 

William  Matthews,  Esq.,  of  Brooklyn,  has 
illustrated  Bancroft's  History  of  the  United 
States,  and  also  beautifully  illustrated  a  copy 
of  Walton's  Complete  Angler,  and  is  engaged 
on  others, 

John  I1.  Woodbury,  of  Boston,  is  a  gentle- 
man to  whom  the  domain  of  illustrated 
books  is  no  terra  incognita.  He  has  extend- 
in^  God's  Children  ;  Rule  of  St.  Benet,  55.  Translation  of 
Cato,  4s.  Translation  of  The  Knight  of  the  Toure,  55. 
This  sale  catalogue  with  prices  annexed  is  now  in  the  British 
Museum.  These  books  so  insignificant  two  hundred  years 
ago  would  fetch  a  moderate  fortune  to-day. 


—  io6  — 

ed  the  Novels  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  to  sixty 
volumes  by  the  addition  of  eight  hundred 
prints.  He  has  also  a  beautiful  copy  of 
Mrs.  Bray's  Life  of  Stothard,  with  others. 

Mr.  G.  D.  VV.  Vroom,  of  Trenton,  N.  J., 
has  illustrated  the  Life  of  Major  Andre"  ;  also 
Life  of  Napoleon,  and  some  local  histories. 

Mr.  James  W.  Vroom,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  has 
a  prominence  as  an  illustrator  of  local  history. 

All  of  these  gentlemen  are  known  as  high- 
priests  of  Bibliolatrv. 

There  is  one  extraordinary  collection  of 
books  to  which  I  have  barely  time  to  call  at- 
tention. It  is  that  of  a  gentleman  whose 
residence  is  just  out  of  the  city.  He  is  a 
bachelor ;  his  name  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 
use.1  His  library  is  a  paradise  of  art  in  books 
and  bronzes. 

In  his  small  but  ornate  collection  is  a  copy 
of  Boccaccio's  Decameron,  two  volumes,  ex- 
tended to  four  by  the  insertion  of  two  hun- 

1  It  seems  strange  that  a  great  book  collector  should  be 
able  to  preserve  his  individuality  undiscovered  in  a  great  city- 
like  New  York,  while  there  are  so  many  interested  in  drag- 
ging him  before  the  world.  But  Mr.  Sabin  tells  us  of  two 
characters — Mr.  Pennfeatherand  Mr.  Hornblower — who  fre- 
quently appeared  at  the  auction  sales  of  fine  books,  none 
but  the  rarest  tempting  them,  and  for  which  they  paid  enor- 
mous prices,  to  the  discomfiture  of  all  other  buyers.  Mr. 
Sabin  says  a  mystery  hangs  about  these  men  ;  but  he  sus- 
pects that  both  of  these  windy  names  represent  New  York 
Collectors. 


*  ••'/  •  '.. 


—  IO/  — 

dred  and  thirty  prints  characteristic  of  the 
text,  except  that  they  are  drawn  with  a  freer 
and  more  ecstatic  hand.  It  is,  beyond  all 
contrast,  the  most  voluptuous  book  I  have 
ever  seen.  Here  is  also  the  quarto  edi- 
tion of  R.  Payne  Knight's  Essay  on  the 
Worship  of  Priapus,  extended  by  illustra- 
tions of  the  highest  scientific  significance 
to  two  bulky  volumes.  It  is  a  beautiful  and 
worthy  book,  of  incalculable  service  to  the 
historian  and  antiquarian.  The  original  edi- 
tion of  this  work  has  become  very  scarce — a 
copy  sold  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in 
this  country.  Also  the  celebrated  Secret 
Cabinet  of  the  Royal  Museum  at  Naples,  il- 
lustrated with  eighty  drawings  by  Italian  art- 
ists of  the  more  recent  discoveries  at  Her- 
culaneum  and  Pompeii.  This  is  also  an  ad- 
mirable book  and  a  noble  contribution  to 
ethnological  science.  The  next  volume  we 
lay  our  hands  upon  is  a  large  paper  of  Gram- 
mont's  Memoirs  of  Charles  II.;  and  in  fra- 
ternizing proximity  is  a  copy  of  Cunning- 
ham's Life  of  Nelly  Gwynne,  the  latter  with 
extremely  characteristic  prints  illustrating 
some  of  the  frailties  of  her  eventful  career. 
She  is  called  "  pretty  Nelly "  in  Lely's  por- 
trait, and  by  the  same  endearing  title  in  the 
"  spoony  "  raptures  of  Pepys. 


—  io8  — 

Here  is  also  Hollar's  Celebrated  Courte- 
sans of  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  in  two  folio 
volumes.  The  picture  drawn  by  John  Eve- 
lyn, of  the  profligacy  which  hovered  around 
the  throne  of  England  during  the  reign 
of  the  "  merrie  monarch "  is  a  deplorable 
one  indeed.  Also  Amadis  of  Gaul,  a  famous 
Portuguese  romance,  by  Lobeira,  translated 
into  Spanish  and  added  to  by  Montalvo,  ren- 
dered into  French  by  the  Lord  of  Essars, 
Nicholas  de  Herberay,  who  also  increased  it, 
and,  lastly,  Gilbert  Sannicr,  who  added  to 
it,  and  now  done  into  an  English  abridg- 
ment, by  Southcy :  the  English  garment  hav- 
ing about  as  much  fitness  for  it  as  the  He- 
brew for  the  rendering  of  a  negro  plantation 
song.  And  now  La  Pucelle  of  Voltaire,  by 
Didot  le  Jeune,  two  volumes,  large  paper, 
extended  to  four  by  the  insertion  of  four 
hundred  engravings,  including  forty-six  por- 
traits of  Voltaire  and  sixteen  of  Joan  of 
Arc,  and  both  of  the  exquisite  sets  of  Mo- 
reau,  all  brilliant  impressions.  This  magnifi- 
cent work  is  bound  in  red  polished  levant  by 
David,  and  cost  its  present  owner  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars.  The  fastidiousness 
of  the  present  age  can  see  nothing  but  the 
prying  beastliness  of  a  satyr  in  this  work. 
Yet  the  pure  and  punctilious  Condorcet  de- 


fended  it ;  and,  compared  to  the  fulsome  im- 
aginings of  Diderot,  this  creation  of  the 
patriarch  of  Fernex  is  purity  itself.  Nor 
does  the  life  of  Voltaire  seem  to  merit  the 
obloquy  with  which  certain  modern  censors 
have  endeavored  to  envelope  it.  Even  the 
ingenuous  Morley  recognized  his  right  to  im- 
mortality, in  erecting  to  him  a  "written 
statue ;"  an  act  itself  highly  commendable — 
yet  he  performed  it  with  a  rough  chisel.  Vol- 
taire was  the  idol  of  the  French  nation,  and 
there  is  not  a  man  of  book  culture  in  all 
Paris  but  would  lavish  decorations  upon  La 
Pucelle,  and,  indeed,  copies  of  it  may  be 
found  glittering  upon  the  shelves  of  every 
bibliophile  in  France,  some  illustrated  with 
prints  of  the  highest  chastity,  others  with 
designs  from  Moreau,  or  maybe  more  licen- 
tious originals,  out  of  which  the  differentia- 
tion of  a  pure  morality  would  be  an  awkward 
process  indeed.  However,  Voltaire  is  cer- 
tainly not  responsible  for  the  taint  of  his  il- 
lustrators. Nor  is  this  imprudent  devotion 
confined  to  Paris ;  it  has  its  premiers  in  Lon- 
don, and  its  satraps  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
New  World. 

There  is  another  tempting  little  book  in 
this  collection — a  large  duodecimo,  published 
in  1709,  second  edition,  in  one  volume,  enti- 


—  no  — 

tied  The  Secret  Memoirs  and  Manners  of  Sev- 
eral Persons  of  Quality  of  Both  Sexes ; l  or,  The 
New  Atalantis,  by  Mrs.  De  La  Riviere  Man- 
ley.2  To  quicken  in  the  inquisitively  prurient 

1  Among  the  persons  under  disguised  names  who  were 
mentioned  and  scandalized  in  this  notorious  book  were 
Charles  Seymour  (Duke  of  Somerset),  Sir  Robert  Howard, 
Lady  Wharton,  William  Cavendish  (Duke  of  Newcastle), 
Lady  Mary  Vere,  Charles  Lennox  (Duke  of  Richmond), 
Earl  of  Nottingham.  Mr>.  Darby,  Duke  of  Grafton,  Sir 
Isaac  Newton,  Sir  Samuel  Garth,  M.  D.,  James  II.  (Duke 
of  York),  Mrs.  Young,  Charles  II.,  Queen  Anne,  George 
Villiers  (Duke  of  Buckingham),  James  Scott  (Duke  of 
Monmouth),  Earl  of  Portland,  Robert  Mrs.  Ham- 

mom!.  !c,  Sir  William  Cooper,  Prince  of  Orange, 

Mrs.    Howard,    maid  of  honor  •  John  Churchill 

(Duke  of  Marlborough),  Sir  Richard  Hlackmore,  M.  D.  ; 
Lady  Hyde  (Co;:  .Chester).  Mrs.  (iranville  (Lady 

I^ansdowne),  Sir  Robert  Howard's  widow,  of  whom  it  may 
be  said— 

"  The  pleasure  missed  her,  but  the  scandal  hit." — Pop*. 
and  many  others. 

-  Mrs.  De  la  Riviere  Manley  (born  1672),  the  Aspasia  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  was  the  daughter  of  Sir  Roger  Man- 
ley,  who,  if  entitled  to  no  other  credit,  is  to  that  of  educat- 
ing his  daughter,  who  lost  her  mother  at  an  early  age  At 
the  age  of  seventeen,  the  fairy  realm  in  which  the  maiden 
had  hitherto  lived  was  knocked  to  pieces,  and  the  rude 
world  came  upon  her  in  a  storm  of  misery  and  shame.  Her 
cousin,  a  son  of  Sir  Roger's  brother — a  fellow  evidently  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  forgiveness,  for  he  had  borne  arms 
against  the  King — had  been  false  to  Church  and  Crown, 
and  was  now  false  to  beauty  and  honor.  Under  what  base 
pleas,  and  by  what  intolerable  arts,  he  obtained  his  object, 
we  need  not  inquire  ;  but  La  Riviere  found  herself,  with 
blighted  reputation  and  broken  heart,  thrown  entirely  on 
her  own  resources.  She  became  a  favorite  with  the  Duchess 
of  Cleveland,  at  that  time  the  sovereign  mistress  of  White- 
hall, and  perhaps  excited  her  wonder  as  much  by  the  cor- 
rectness of  her  behavior  as  by  the  quickness  of  her  repartee. 


—  Ill  — 

a  hankering  for  knowledge,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  place  before  them  the  announcement 
of  a  work  containing  some  interdicted  scan- 

But  the  Duchess  was  as  capricious  in  her  female  friendships 
as  in  love,  and,  ere  six  months  elapsed,  became  jealous  of 
the  talents  and  beauty  of  La  Riviere,  and  led  a  crusade 
against  her — a  happy  circumstance  for  the  object  of  her 
hate.  Excluded  from  both  the  hemispheres  into  which  the 
habitable  globe  of  society  was  at  that  time  divided,  she  be- 
took herself  to  the  point  where  both  were  united,  and  sent 
a  tragedy  to  the  theatre.  It  was  received  with  universal  ac- 
clamation, and  her  name  became  a  household  word  in  the 
assemblies  of  wit  and  fashion.  The  authoress  of  "The 
Royal  Mischief"  achieved  an  entrance  into  another  and 
higher  circle,  where  everything  was  forgiven  to  the  pos- 
sessor of  genius,  but  where,  probably,  the  only  difference 
between  the  poetess  and  the  purest  of  her  admirers  was 
that  she  had  been  discovered  and  they  had  not.  How  long 
this  lasted,  we  are  not  told  ;  but  she  came  out  in  a  new 
character  when  the  curtain  drew  up  again.  Disappointed 
in  love,  and  soured,  perhaps,  by  the  docility  with  which 
her  self-sacrificing  advice  had  been  followed,  she  became  a 
politician  of  the  most  rabid  kind,  and  wrote  libels  on  the 
ministry,  for  which  she  was  brought  up  in  custody  before 
the  Secretary  of  State.  Her  book  was  called  A  New  Ata- 
lantis,  and  contained  the  most  ferocious  assaults  on  her  po- 
litical opponents,  under  false  names.  Bitterness  and  hatred 
were  so  characteristic  of  these  lucubrations  that  they  moved 
the  sympathetic  feelings  of  the  great  satirist  and  traducer 
of  the  day — Dean  Swift — and  he  extended  the  hand  of 
fellowship  to  the  equally  fierce  but  less  malicious  Mrs.  Man- 
ley.  In  him  she  recognized  the  immorality  which  had  won 
her  earlier  admiration  in  man,  and  she  clung  to  that  impure 
concentration  of  humor  as  her  protection  against  the  hu- 
manities of  the  7\j(tlt-r  and  the  frigidity  of  Cato.  The  list 
of  her  plays  is  as  follows  :  "The  Royal  Mischief  ;  "  "  The 
Lost  Lover;  or,  the  Jealous  Husband;"  "Almyna;  or, 
the  Arabian  Vow,"  and  "Lucius,  the  First  Christian  King  of 
Britain."  What  we  have  said  may  give  an  interest  to  che 
works  of  this  ' '  ingenious  and  accomplished  gentlewoman" — 
if  perchance  they  present  themselves  in  an  old  bookstore, 
at  price  not  exceeding  half  an  eagle  per  volume. 


—  112  — 

dal.  And  there  are  too  many,  alas,  who  revel 
in  this  fungoid  literature.  This  book  scan- 
dalized some  persons  of  rank,  and  for  it  the 
author  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  impris- 
oned. She  was  also  author  of  a  tragedy 
called  The  Royal  Mischief,  the  best-named 
book  that  I  have  ever  seen.  The  first-named 
book — the  new  Atalantis — is  extended  to 
three  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  prints,  which,  for  righteous- 
ness' sake,  had  better  remain  forever  unde- 
scribed.  Here  are  also  Marguerite  de  Na- 
varre, Rabelais,  Galanteries  des  Rois  de 
France,  Rousseau,  etc.,  etc. 

There  are  about  two  hundred  volumes  of 
illustrated  books  in  this  unparalleled  collec- 
tion, with  the  greater  portion  of  which  we 
had  never  before  had  the  honor  of  a  personal 
acquaintance.  The  bindings  are  generally 
French.  These  books  seldom  reach  the 
salesrooms ;  but,  when  they  do,  they  usually 
fetch  greater  prices  than  any  other  books 
known  to  the  trade. 

That  a  man  may  live  in  wedlock  with  his 
beautiful  books,  works  of  art,  and  statuary, 
and  live  to  love  and  adore  them,  we  can  per- 
fectly understand;  but  that  a  man  should 
cherish  them — these  mere  effigies,  models, 
transcripts,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  living, 


ROUSSEAU 

(  JEAIt  -  JACQUES). 


CHRONOLOGIE. 

1711.  Nai<sance  de  J.-J.  Rousseau. 
1731.  Prein.  roy.  a  Paris;  retour  a  Cbambery. 
1732-39.  II  doune  des  lemons  demusique. 
1739.  II  va  4  Lyon.  Precept,  cbez  M.  de  Mably. 
1741.  ae  Toy.  a  Paris;  Inf.  tU  not.  lamus.  en  ih. 
1741.  IAI  Muses  gaJantet  (poeine  et  mus.). 
1743.  Secret.de  1'amliass.  de  France  a  Venise. 
1745.  Sou  retour  a  I'aris. 

1747.  II  est  charge  de  rev.  fa  I'rincets*  de  Nav.; 
comtnis  cliez  le  ferrnier-^eneral  Dupin. 

1748.  Admiscbex  mesd.  d'Kpinay  etd'Houdetot. 
1750.  Diicours  centre  les  iellres. 

1762.  I*  Deoin  du  village  (pocinc  et  musique). 

1753.  Ltttre  jur  la  mutique  franraise. 

1755.  Disc,  iur  I'origine  de  fiiiegalite  parmi  Us 

hommrs.  —  Voyage  a  Geneve. 
1766.  Retour  a  Paris;  s'etablit  a  1'Ermitage. 
1768.  Lfttre  sur  let  spectacles, 
1739.  Nouvelle  Heloise. 
1762.  Emile.  II  se  refugie  en  Suisse ;  adopte  le 

costume  armenien. 
1764.  Lett  res  de  la  Montagne. 

1766.  II  passe  en  Angleterre;    ses    Confessions 
(6  livres) ;  Control  social. 

1767.  Son  retour  en  France. 

1768-69.  Voyage  a  Lyon,  a  Grenoble ,  a  Cham- 
bery,  a  Bourgoin.  Son  mar.  avec  T.  Levasseur. 

1770.  II  revient  a  I'aris;  quitte  le  cost,  arinen. 

1772.   Considerations  sur  le  gouvern.  de  Potogne. 

1778.  Mort  de  J.-J.  Rousseau  (3  juillet). 

Traite  d'arithmetique ,  imp.  a  Venise. 

Dictionnaire  de  musique. 

Traduction  de  grec  en  latin  des  Inscriptions  de 
Rhodes  ;  inedil. 

Les  Re'verif!  du  Promeneur  solitaire. 

Let  ^ventures  de  milord  Edouard;  suite  de  la 
Nouvelle  Heloise. 

Entile  et  Sophie,  ou  les  Solitaires;  suite  de  I'Em. 

Le  Levitt  d'Ephruim. —  fattres  a  Sara. 

Trad,  du  ier  liv.  de  YHist.  romaine  de  Tacite. 

Trad,  de  1'ep.  A'Olinde  etde  Sophronie,da.  Tasse. 

Rousseau  juge  de  Jean-Jacques. 

Lettres,  Romances,  Opuscules;  Botanique. 


s     ,v   A  DC  MS   . 


glowing,  breathing  reality  in  flesh  and  blood, 
is,  I  believe,  beyond  the  comprehension  of 
every  well-dispositioned  mortal.  But  my 
bachelor  friend  has  sealed  himself  against  the 
•tender  amenities  of  real  life,  has  intrenched 
himself  within  the  four  walls  of  his  literary 
fortress,  and,  like  Venus  with  her  Adonis, 
deems  within  this  art-environed 

*  *  *  *  "park, 

No  dog  shall  harm  him,  though  a  thousand  bark." 

From  this  vast  array  of  illustrated  books, 
I  hope  I  shall  not  produce  the  conviction 
that  it  is  proper,  or  that  it  is  even  possible,  to 
illustrate  all  books  to  advantage,  because  it 
is  not  true.  There  are  books  which  resist 
every  effort  of  the  illustrator.  There  are 
some  old  books — unique  old  books — and 
beautiful  because  they  are  old  and  unique, 
which  will  admit  of  no  companionship  or 
fraternization  with  methods  of  modern 
genius ;  no  amount  of  retouching  can  give 
modern  significance  to  antique  art.  It  is 
like  the  mutilated  statue  of  Memnon,  at 
Thebes — beautiful  and  sublime  in  its  mutila- 
tion, and  which  "  gave  forth  melodious 
sounds  when  the  first  rays  of  the  morning 
sun  fell  upon  it,  and  at  evening  gave  a  plaint- 
ive and  melancholy  cry,  but  became  dumb  on 
being  restored  by  modern  art." 


—  114  — 

One  of  the  greatest  of  all  popular  errors 
relating  to  the  subject  under  consideration 
is  that  lovers  and  buyers  of  books — book- 
worms, as  they  are  called — are,  as  a  class,  un- 
social— even  to  a  degree  uncivil.  My  inter- 
course with  them,  however,  does  not  go  to 
confirm  this  calumny.  I  think  very  much  of 
this  false  sentiment  concerning  book-men  has 
gained  ascendency  in  this  country  from  the  con- 
ceits of  an  extensively-read  book  called  The 
Book  Hunter,  by  J.  Hill  Burton.  It  is  a  cynical 
and  mischievous  little  book.1  Its  missiles  of 
sarcasm  are  constantly  discharged  at  men 
with  bookish  cravings,  and  a  whining  and 

1 A  criticism  on  the  American  edition  of  this  book  in  Phi- 
lobiblion  (Vol.  II.,  page  60)  is  far  from  complimentary  to 
Mr.  Richard  Grant  White,  the  American  editor  and  anno- 
tator.  It  charges  him  with  uttering  the  most  deplorable 
nonsense — irrelevant  garrulity — with  writing  in  bad  Eng- 
lish and  worse  orthography.  Of  the  note  on  page  108  it 
says:  "  It  is  difficult  to  keep  a  serious  countenance  while 
reading  such  arrant  nonsense,  such  empty  affectation  of  su- 
perior classical  culture,  and  such  ludicrous  self-laudation  as 
he  has  managed  to  embody  in  this  note.  It  is  interesting, 
however,  as  affording  evidence  of  the  manly  development 
of  Mr.  White's  comprehensive  mind  in  early  youth  ;  for  it 
will  be  observed  that  he  declares  positively  that  he  has  not 
seen  the  Tusculan  Questions  since  his  'first  college  year.' 
The  famous  scholar,  Daniel  I  Icinsius,  maintained  that  '('.ro- 
tius  was  a  man  from  the  instant  of  his  birth,  and  never  had 
discovered  any  signs  of  childhood.'  Scarcely  inferior  to 
the  young  Grotius  was  the  Freshman  who  could  run  such  a 
sagacious  parallel  between  the  Tusculan  Questions  and  the 
Platonic  Dialogues,  and  we  commend  this  significant  exam- 
ple of  precocity  to  future  biographers  of  Enfants  Cel- 
fcbres." 


complaining  tone  pervades  the  entire  work. 
It  calls  an  illustrator  the  "  Ishmaelite  of  Col- 
lectors, whose  hand  is  against  every  man,  and 
every  man's  hand  is  against  him."  And, 
again,  to  those  who  take  pleasure  in  recon- 
noitering  in  unlikely  places  for  books,  it  ap- 
plies the  terms  "  Genghis  Khans,"  "prowl- 
ers," "  myrmidons,"  and  many  like  inele- 
gancies.  In  the  chapter  on  Pretenders,  it  in- 
troduces "  the  animal,"  the  bargain-hunter  " 
— characters  so  unreal  as  to  be  hardly  identi- 
fied at  all,  and  in  this  country  entirely 
mythical  ;  and  the  extended  note  to  page 
94  by  the  American  editor,  Richard  Grant 
White,  is  a  ridiculously  absurd  thing.  But 
I  am  slightly  digressing.  I  have  never  had 
more  courtesy  or  politeness  extended  to 
me  than  while  gathering  material  from  book 
men  for  this  essay.  And,  from  my  experi- 
ence, I  believe  that  men  of  literary  tastes — 
book-lovers — have  fewer  foolish  formalities 
and  more  amiable  weaknesses  than  any  other 
class  of  the  community.  I  never  knew  a 
genuine  bibliocist  who  was  coarse  and  un- 
uncivil ;  and,  from  necessity,  they  are  schol- 
ars. There  is  a  fragrance  of  cultivation 
about  them  which  the  very  pursuit  incul- 
cates. And,  if  their  comity  is  marked  by  a 
little  eccentricity,  it  is  not  because  of  its  ex- 


— 116  — 

cess  over  that  of  any  other  class,  but  because 
of  its  rarity,  and  that  it  is  less  frequently 
met  with.  But  the  point  aimed  at  here  is 
that,  whatever  its  methods,  the  courtesy  of 
the  book-lover  always  culminates  in  making 
you  feel  comfortable  and  at  ease  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  this  is  all  that  politeness  amounts 
to — notwithstanding  it  is  the  most  ennobling 
of  all  the  Fine  Arts.  The  social  qualities 
and  politeness  which  I  have  so  emphasized,  I 
have  uniformly  met  with  in  all  my  relations, 
with  book-men,  and  I  wish  here  to  make  the 
fullest  acknowledgment  of  my  profound  grat- 
itude for  these  courtesies.  The  special  occa- 
sion, however,  which  gave  rise  to  the  foregoing 
thoughts  was  my  interview  with  William  T. 
Horn,  Esq.,  at  his  delightful  residence,  Fifty- 
third  street,  New  York. 

Mr.  Horn  is  a  wealthy  man,  a  lawyer  by 
profession,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  respectable  families  of  New  York. 
His  library^,  independently  of  his  privately- 
illustrated  books,  and  which  is  a  part  and 
parcel  of  himself,  consists  of  the  choicest 
editions  of  early  English  literature,  drama, 
poetry  and  Fine  Arts.  He  has  the  Grolier, 
Florentine,  Renaissance,  Mosaic  l  and  Anne 

aThe  Mosaics  were  invented  by  Padeloup,  but  are  not 
noted  for  their  artistic  effect  as  a  whole.  The  Deromes 
brought  this  style  to  greater  perfection. 


of  Brittany  styles  of  binding  represented  in 
his  collection.  A  description  of  his  elegant 
and  unique  privately-illustrated  books  would 
be  a  digest  of  the  choicest  productions  of 
the  English  and  American  presses — Picker- 
ing, Chiswick,  Bagster,  Lowndes,  in  large 
paper — nearly  all  inlaid  to  folio,  and  illus- 
trated with  an  almost  infinity  of  Houbrakens, 
Morghens,  Yertucs,  Bartolozzis,  Marshalls, 
Stranges  and  Stothards,  encased  in  garments 
of  crushed  levant,  fashioned  by  those  mas- 
ters of  the  binder's  art,  Bedford,  Haiday, 
Cape,  Bernhard,  Matthews,  Bradstreet  and 
others.  Mr.  Horn  has  illustrated  seven  edi- 
tions of  the  placid  Izaak  Walton  to  elegant 
repletion.  The  large  paper  Boston  edition 
of  the  Complete  Angler  has  been  extended 
to  four  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  seven 
hundred  prints,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of 
which  are  India  proof  before  letter,  two  hun- 
dred India  proof  after  letter,  and  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  others.  These  volumes  are 
bound  in  the  best  style  of  Chambolle  Duru, 
ornamented  to  a  Grolier  pattern  outside  and 
Louis  XIV.  inside.  They  are  matchless 
books — "  Gems,  with  settings  of  brilliants," 
said  an  enthusiast.  And  another  of  the  same 
work — the  Bagster  edition  of  1808 — on 
largest  paper,  extended  to  two  volumes,  with 


—  US  — 

two  hundred  prints,  mostly  India  proof,  be- 
sides  original  drawings.  These  volumes  are 
made  up  from  the  selected  sheets  of  two 
copies.  Also  Pickering's  edition  of  1836,  il- 
lustrated to  five  volumes,  text  not  inlaid. 
This  is  one  of  the  few  copies  in  which  the  il- 
lustrations in  the  text  are  on  India  paper. 
There  are  seven  hundred  and  fifty  additional 
illustrations,  principally  India  proof  and 
proof  before  letter ;  bound  in  green  crushed 
levant  by  Matthews.  And  now  a  large  paper 
copy  of  the  Major  edition  of  1824,  extended 
to  two  volumes  by  inserting  one  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  prints ;  bound  by  Chambolle 
Duru.  And  another  large-paper  Major  of 
1844,  two  volumes,  illustrated  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  prints  ;  bound  by  Mat- 
thews in  green  levant ;  also  a  large-paper  copy 
of  Dr.  Bethune's  edition,  by  Wiley,  New 
York,  1852,  illustrated.  It  is  bound  by  Mat- 
thews. Here  is  also  Thomas  Westwood's 
Chronicle  of  the  Compleat  Angler  of  Izaak 
Walton  and  Charles  Cotton,  1864,  with  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  prints  added,  and  the 
Westwood  Catalogue  bound  in.  Life  of 
Walton,  by  Zouch,  quarto,  seventy-nine 
prints  inserted,  all  proof.  Walton's  Lives  of 
Dr.  John  Donne,  Sir  Henry  Walton,  Richard 
Hooker,  George  Herbert  and  Dr.  Robert  San. 


derson,  extended  to  two  volumes,  with  rubri- 
cated titles.  They  are  charming — that  is  all 
that  can  be  said  about  them.  Mr.  Horn  has 
twenty-four  editions  of  Walton's  Angler,  en- 
-  shrined  in  the  noblest  specimens  of  Bauzon- 
net,  Duru  and  Matthews,  which,  instead  of 
these  impoverished  references,  are  worthy  an 
entire  winter  course. 

There  are  also  in  this  collection  three  edi- 
tions of  the  English  Petrarch,  Sir  Philip 
Sidney,  and  1 1  is  Times.  These  \\ « >rks  <  f  this 
great  man,  who  was,  says  1 1  nine,  "  the  most 
perfect  model  of  a  gentleman  who  ever  ap- 
peared in  Knglish  history,"  are  extended,  one 
to  three,  another  to  three,  and  the  third  to 
two  volumes,  folio.  The  illustrations  are 
mostly  India  proof,  fift\  «>f  which  are 

different  portraits  of  Sir  Philip.  This  is  a 
lordly  set  of  books,  and  is  worthily  supple- 
mented by  a  folio  copy,  in  two  volum 
Mrs.  Bray's  Stothard,  a  beautiful  book,  illus- 
trated with  the  works  of  Stothard  in  several 
states.  This  book  has  become  a  great  favor- 
ite with  illustrators,  in  consequence  of  the 
nobility  of  its  characters  and  for  its  literary 
purity.  And  now  we  have  a  Stocdale  edi- 
tion of  Robinson  Crusoe,  illustrated  by  Stoth- 
ard ;  next,  Fragmenta  Regalia1  of  Naun- 

1  Fragmenta   Regalia ;    or,   Observations    on  the   Late 


120  — 

ton,  large  paper,  only  fifty  copies  printed,  il- 
lustrated with  portraits,  all  proof ;  and  an- 
other  edition  of  the  same  work,  extended  to 
two  volumes,  and  bound  by  Matthews. 

And  now  we  return,  though  not  servilely, 
to  Dibdin's  Bibliomania.  This  is  an  extraor- 
dinary book,  being  one  of  an  edition  of  five 
copies  only,  printed  on  drawing-paper  in  folio; 
one  hundred  and  eighty  illustrations;  bound 
by  Matthews,  in  divinity  blue.  There  is  a  full 
set  of  Dibdin's  bibliographical  works  in  this 
collection,  bound  by  Bertram!,  of  Paris.  Also 
Bibliographical  Rcpertorium,  two  volumes, 
quarto  ;  Home's  Introduction  to  the  Study  of 
Bibliology,  extended  to  three  volumes ;  and 
Book  Rarities  of  Cambridge — all  illustrated. 
Boaden's  Enquiries  into  the  Authenticity  of 
the  Shakspeare  Portraits,  one  volume, 
tended  to  two ;  seventy-five  of  the  rarest 
Shakspeare  portraits  inserted.  This  is  a 
glorious  volume  for  the  Shakspearian  mad, 

Queen  Elizabeth  :  Her  Times  and  Favorites,  being  sketches 
of  Robert  Dudley,  Thcmas  Radcliffe,  Lord  I'.urlcigh.  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  Lord  Willoughby,  Francis  Uacon,  Sir  Nicho- 
las Bacon,  Sir  Francis  Know  Is,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  Sir 
Henry  \Votton,  Sir  Francis  Ytrre  and  Thomas  Sackville. 

John  Lilly,  a  dramatic  writer,  satirized  the  times  and  lit- 
erary  men  of  the  age  of  Elizabeth,  in  a  work  called  F.u- 
phues  :  The  Anatomy  of  Wit— which  became  very  popular 
with  that  pedantic  generation  for  its  affected  and  dainty 
style,  called  euphuism.  It  is  a  work  deserving  of  notice  for 
its  literary  and  historical  incidents.  I  have  never  heard  of 
a  copy  being  illustrated. 


'/^/^S^c^CX 


? 


it't 
'^ry  €*/ 


THAKU-IS 


—  121  — 

for  endless,  indeed,  is  the  list  of  portraits  it 
is  capable  of.  Here  is  also  Mrs.  Jameson's 
Beauties  of  the  Court  of  Charles  II.,  in 
largest  paper,  with  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  portraits  added — fifty-six  different  por- 
traits of  Charles  ;  bound  by  Chambolle  Duru. 
And  now  the  Life  of  the  inevitable  Nell 
Gwynne,  the  beautiful  and  wayward  orange 
girl,  turned  actress,  and  elevated  to  Countess 
of  Greenwich  (had  Charles  lived),  who  turned 
the  heads  of  half  the  nobility  of  England,  in 
the  time  of  Charles  II.,  now,  for  once,  in 
honest  company,  sandwiched  between  Eras- 
mus and  a  unique  copy  of  Cardinal  Wolsey. 
This  book  was  originally  a  small  duodecimo, 
by  Peter  Cunningham,  who  was  also  author 
of  the  Life  of  Inigo  Jones  and  an  edition  of 
Goldsmith's  Works.  It  is  now  extended  to 
two  large  folios  by  the  addition  of  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  prints,  many  proof  before 
and  after  letter.  Also  mezzotints  of  con- 
temporaneous issues.  Such  is  the  value  of 
any  memento  of  this  wonderful  woman  that 
a  letter  of  hers  (indited  by  her — Nelly  could 
with  difficulty  make  her  initials,  "  E.  G.")  to 
Lawrence  Hyde,  son  of  Lord  Chancellor 
Clarendon  sold  for  one  hundred  and  forty-five 
dollars  in  1874,  at  the  Tite  sale,  London.1 

1  A  curious  strife  exists  among  illustrators  of  Nell  Gwynne 


—  122  — 

There  are  many  other  illustrated  works  in 
this  superb  collection,  from  which  I  select,  as 
memory  serves  me,  Lives  of  Holbein,  Rem- 
brandt and  Van  Dyck — all  profusely  illus- 
trated ;  also,  Bards  and  Reviewers,  three 
volumes;  History  of  the  Revolution  of 
1688,  by  Mackintosh;  Weldin's  Court  of 
James  I.,  in  two  volumes;  Fox's  Court 
of  Jam-.--  II.,  on  drawing  paper;  Life  of 
Sir  Thorn. is  More,  with  seventy  portraits 
of  More;  Rejected  Addresses,  Smith; 
Boydell's  Milton,  with  eighty  portraits  of 
Milton.  William  Haslewood,  the  celebrated 
antiquary  forty  \  »,  with  all  the  print 

emporiu  iui rope   to    draw    from,    suc- 

ceeded  in  :  her  only  thirty  por- 

traits of  Milton.  Anecdotes  of  Sam  John- 
son— "thejupit  3  Proiif,  " of  English 
literature,  with  one  satell;  Lives  of 
Gower  and  Chaucer;  of  Dr.  William  II ar. 
Scott;  Walpole  ;  I'ope  ;  R  -id  Diy- 
den — "the  Iscariot  of  English  poetry  and 
politics,"  who,  having  flattered  in  turn  with 
sickening  adulations  Cromwell,  Charles  II., 
James  II.  and  William,  died  of  a  broken 

to  obtain  views  of  the  various  houses  in  which  she  is  said  to 
have  lived.  I  find  from  all  sources  that  she  must  have  re- 
sided at  Chelsea,  Bagnagge  Wells,  Highgate,  Walworth, 
Filbats,  near  Windsor  ;  Drury  Lane,  Lincoln's  Inn's  Field, 
Pall  Mall,  Buford  House,  and  others. 


((  i 


—  I23  — 

heart,  deserted  by  all  parties ;  and  many 
others,  all  extended  to  folio.  The  grand  ob- 
ject of  the  illustrator  of  this  collection  was  to 
form  a  perfectly  consecutive  Illustrated  His- 
tory of  English  Literature,  and  it  is  to  the 
fidelity  with  which  he  has  carried  out  this 
object  that  the  attractiveness,  utility  and 
great  worth  of  the  collection  is  due.  All 
praise  to  a  hobby  which  championships  grace 
and  beauty. 

It  has  been  said  by  Dr.  Maudsley,  the 
greatest  of  all  living  physicists,  that  three- 
fourths  of  all  our  aptness  or  inaptness  are  in- 
herited from  our  ancestors,  and  that  the 
other  one-fourth  is  the  outcrop  of  some  kin- 
dred inherited  quality.  But  Kalif  Alee,  son- 
in-law  to  Mahomet,  declared  that  "  men  are 
more  like  the  times  in  which  they  live  than 
they  are  like  their  fathers."  Which  of  these 
two  great  sat'iinfs  \^  right  I  shall  not  pretend 
to  decide  ;  nor  that  there  is  any  antagonism 
between  them.  But  the  question,  how  many 
of  the  famous  American  \Yaltonians  are  in- 
debted to  their  ancestors  for  a  legacy  in  this 
most  extraordinary  folly,  rather  than  to  the 
fashion  and  culture  of  the  day,  would  not  be 
a  difficult  problem  to  solve. 

Of  the  most  celebrated  among  Americans 
who  have  given  way  to  this  cultured  weak- 


-124- 

ness,  or  who  have  attested  their  appreciation 
of  the  linen  draper  of  Fleet  street,  and  have 
given  him  the  honored  seat  in  their  hearts 
and  libraries,  are  Andrew  Wight,  George  H. 
Holliday,  John  C.  Brown,  John  Allan,  Albert 
G.  Greene,  Peter  Hastie,  Thomas  H.  Mor- 
rell,  Alexander  Barker,  Irving  Brown,  A. 
Oakey  Hall,  John  A.  Rice,  J.  H.  V.  Arnold, 
Richard  G.  White,  Charles  Congdon,  Henry 
T.  Cox,  E.  A.  Carman,  E.  G.  Asay,  G.  W. 
Bethune,  William  Menzies,  W.  L.  Andrews, 
Thomas  Westwood,  Hamilton  Cole,  William 
Matthews,  E.  Bement,  John  J.  Kane,  Thomas 
J.  McKee,  William  T.  Horn,  and  Robert 
Hoe,  Jr.,  not  one  of  whose  ancestors,  for  a 
line  of  ten  generations,  I  warrant,  knew  what 
a  privately-illustrated  book  was. 

The  King  of  Waltonians  of  our  day  is 
undoubtedly  Robert  Hoe,  Jr.,  Esq.,1  of  New 
York,  editor  of  the  first  American  edition  of 
The  Print  Collector  of  Maberly,  with  Notes 
of  Etchings  and  Etchers,  and  a  Bibliography 


1  Mr.  Robert  Hoe,  Jr.,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  in  1839.  His  father,  Robert  Hoe,  was  also  born  in 
York.  His  grandfather,  also  named  Robert  Hoe,  was 
an  Englishman.  He  erected  the  first  iron  printing  press  in 
this  country.  There  have  been  three  generations  devoted 
to  the  printing  press,  and  the  part  they  have  contributed  to 
the  development  and  perfection  of  this  great  engine  of  civ- 
ilization will  preserve  the  name  forever  famous.  A  great 
portion  of  Mr.  Hoe's  time  is  spent  in  Europe. 


—  125  — 

of  Engraving — better  known  to  fame,  how- 
ever, by  the  printing-press  bearing  his  name; 
Mr.  Hoe  is  a  genuine  and  enthusiastic  book- 
lover,  and  his  attainments  in  aesthetic  culture 
are  of  the  highest  order.  He  has  a  large 
library  of  privately-illustrated  books.  It 
would,  with  more  fitness,  be  called  a  cabinet 
of  gems.  It  is  composed  of  the  choicest  edi- 
tions of  Baskerville,  Chiswick,  Pickering, 
Bagster  and  Stockdale,  few,  indeed,  of  which 
have  been  deformed  by  the  inlaying  or 
building-up  process.  And  yet  they  have 
been  copiously  illustrated,  by  the  products 
of  the  most  celebrated  engravers,  whose 
works  were  not  un frequently  produced  con- 
temporaneously with  the  events  of  the  text. 
We  find  here  examples  of  such  as  Houbraken, 
Morghen,  Faithorne,  Hollar,  Wierix,  Ver- 
tue,  Edelinck,  Blooteling.  Bartolozzi,  Strange 
Sharpe,  White,  Stothard  and  Landseer,  all  of 
which  fit  with  as  much  nicety  as  if  designed 
originally  for  the  books ;  there  are  but  few 
inlaid  prints,  and  these  few  were  inlaid  by 
Trent.  His  bindings  are  all  in  admirable 
taste  and  of  exquisite  workmanship  ;  few, 
indeed,  were  bound  in  America. 

I  have  selected  from  his  French  bindings 
specimens  of  Cap£,  Lortic,  Simier,  Kohler, 
David,  Neidree,  Bauzonnet,  Duru  and  Bern- 


—  126  — 

hard.  His  favorite  English  binders  are 
Lewis,  Bedford,  Riviere,  Zaehnsdorf  and  Bra- 
del,1  and  they  are  all  marvels  of  elegance 
and  good  taste,  in  mosaic,  the  Grolier  and 
Harlcian  styles. 

Mr.  Hoe  has  illustrated  the  first  Sir  Har- 
ris Xicolas  edition  of  Izaak  \Valtonof  1836, 
by  Pickering,  in  royal  octavo,  large  paper. 
An  enamored  bibliophile  declared  the  "  ele- 
gance of  this  book  enough  to  bring  the  Aldi  3 

1  As  representatives  of  the  present  state  of  artistic  skill  in 
English  binding  may  be  mention  ::isdorf  and 

Francis  Bedford.  by  some  « 

admirers,  to  be  the  greatest  artist  in  bookbinding  that 
land  or  any  other  country  h. 

ford  lived  for  some  time  with  Ch  -,  and  continues, 

with  Riviere,  the  style  whi  i  he  style  of 

Kivii'  ;  that  of  Bedford  more  c: 

For  hi-;  work  to  be  appreciated,  it  must  be  considered  from 
the  beginning.  The  late  Thomas  Grenville,  who  be- 
queathed 1  Election  of  books  to  the  British 
im,  said  of  Bedford,  whom  he  1  employed, 
that  he  was  the  only  bookbinder  in  London  who  knew  how 
to  rebind  an  old  book.  IT-  -  '-.ill  in  this  difficult  and  deli- 
cate operation  is  indeed  v.  :  and  he  b 
mense  care  and  labor  on  the  gilding  and  lettering. — Can- 
da  II  on  Bookbindings,  1 8  8 1 . 

*  Of  all  who  have  heretofore  exercised  the  art  of  printing 
— an  art  of  which  the  imperfect  attainment  is  as  easy  as  real 
superiority  is  rare — Aldus  Manutius  the  elder,  and  his 
aulus,  are  entitled,  on  every  account,  to  the  first  rank. 
Filled  with  an  enthusiastic  ardor  for  the  literature  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  they  sacrificed  their  advantages  of  fame  and  for- 
tune, which  could  only  be  obtained  from  works  of  their 
own,  and  spent  the  whole  of  their  lives  in  rescuing  the  an- 
cient writers  from  that  obscurity  in  which  the  barbarism  and 
superstition  of  the  Christian  Ages  had  involved  them  ;  and, 


r  n.r  .•:•<': 


hit>/i.f/i,-tl  l>y  r.t'rO 


Street.  C\>ven 


—  127  — 

from  their  graves."  The  original  is  in  two 
volumes,  which  Mr.  Hoe  has  extended  to 
ten,  by  the  insertion  of  thirteen  hundred  and 


not  content  with  preserving  them  from  destruction,  thev 
were  desirous  of  rendering  the  study  of  them  universal,  and 
undertook  the  reproduction  of  them  in  less  expensive  forms. 
Hut  little  talent  \  r  the  printing  of  books  on 

divinity  and  mysticism,  which,  at  this  age,  almost  cxchiMve- 

.,- frequented  path 

itempt  to  resuscitate   the  ('.reek  authors  not  only  re- 
quin ••:  mount  of  erudition,  but  was  also  att 

with;.  -,  :ion  and  persecution   from   the   ignorance 

which  had  Urn  -rowing  deeper  from  the  fourth  century  of 
• 

the^e  o-Iebrated  men   seemed  peculiarly  fitted  for  the 
great  work  tl,<  y  had    undertaken.      Their  history  has 

Completely  written,  although  there  are  many  short  ac- 
counts of   them,  as  that  of   1  >e  Thou,  which   is  rather 
timonial  of  e-teem  than   an  hi>i  'ion    and    fails  to 

make  these  celebrated  printers  known  as  ti.  to  be 

ry  friend  of  literature.      Unger  in  Germai 
Florence,  Manni  at  Yenio  .  i    Maitrairi 

left  accounts  more  or  le>s  detailed  of  these  Aldi  ;  also  Ken- 
ouard  and  I  >idot  have  roiitrtbuted. 

Aldus  Manutius,  the  elder,  was  born,  1447,  in  the  Papal 

His  son,  Paulus,  was  born  at  Yei  2,  and 

Aldus,  the  younger,  son  of  1'aulus,  \\as  born  at  Venice,  in 

1547      Aldus,  the  elder,  died  in  1515  ;  Paulus  died    1574, 

and  Aldus  the  younger  died  i 

The  tirst  publication  of  Aldus   was   a  small  poem,  Mu- 
saeus,  which  was  printed  in  Greek  and  Latin,  quarto,  1494. 

In  the  same  year  appeared  his  Greek  Grammar  of  Las- 
cans,  also  quarto. 

In  1495  he  published  Aristotle's  Organum,  in  folio  ;  also, 
in  the  same  year,  Grammatical  Treatises  by  Theodon. 
ollonius  and  Herodianus,  in  folio  ;  and,  at  the  same  time, 
applied  himself  diligently  in  correcting  the  works  of  Aristo- 
tle, which  had  never  yet  appeared  in  Greek.  The  first  vol- 
ume of  this  important  work  appeared  in  1495  ;  it  was  com- 
pleted in  I4')>,  the  masterly  execution  of  which  placed  Aldus 
very  high,  both  as  a  printer  and  editor.  The  first  edition 
of  Lucian  appeared  1496.  He  thus  placed  within  the  reach 


—  128  — 

three  illustrations,  old  and  contemporaneous 
prints,  artist  proof,  India  paper,  original 
drav/ings,  watercolors,  etc.  In  all  respects, 
I  never  saw  a  finer  book.  It  is  simply  im- 
maculate. He  has  also  illustrated  a  large 
paper-copy  of  Dr.  Bethune's  American  cdi- 

of  every  one,  successively,  Aristotle,  Plato,  Xenophon, 
Homcr.'etc.  In  1501.  appeared  Virgil,  in  octavo,  printed 
with  new  type,  which  he  patented.  In  the  same  year  he 
produced  his  Introductio  per  1  Hebraicam  Lin- 

guam.     Then  appeared  su<  ee,  Dante, 

ra,  Juvenal  and  Pers*  15°3.  folio, 

second  edition),  Ovid,  etc.,  etc.     During  the  > 
1502,  1503,  1504  and  1505  the  Aldim  constantly 

employed.     Euripides  appeared  in  or  \ldus* 

Greek  Grammar  did  not  appear  until  after  his  death  in  1515. 
An  important  work — his  Greek  and  Latin  Dictionary — 
printed  first  in  1497,  folio,  afterward  appeared  in  1524. 

Aldus  tr  *•>  I^atin  tl  rammar  of  Las- 

caris  ;  the  Batrachomyomachia  attributed  t<>  H««mer:  the 
sentences  Phocylides,  and  the  Golden  verses,  which  are 
ascribed  to  Pythagoras  ;  the  I -it in  version  of  yEsop  and  of 
("•abrias  printed  in  folio  in  here  is  also  a  tract  of 

1  i-    1  1  'iphthongorum    Prolatione, 

which  is  found  with  a  work  of  1-:  .  Orthographical 

Auctores,  1566,  octavo ;  an  < :  nail  work  of  six  pages, 

printed  in  1514,  and  ajjain  in  1533. 

In  his  Statius  printed  in  1502.  and  again  in   1510 
tract  by  him   entitled  Orthographia  et  M-  ionem 

Gnecarum    omnium    apud    Statium  cum   accentibus,   etc. 
He  also  wrote  a  Life  of  Ovid,  and  prefixed  to  a  volume  of 
norphoses  edited  in  I  502,  and  again  in  I  5  1 5-16  and 
I  533-34- 

The  edition  of  Ovid  of  1502  contained  some  notes  which 
were  omitted  in  the  subsequent  editions.  The  Works  of 
Plutarch,  1 509,  folio,  is  quite  faulty,  as  is  the  Homer  of  the 
same  year. 

There  was  an  edition  of  the  Greek  alphabet  accompany- 
ing the  Greek  grammar.  It  was  afterwards  published  with 
addit : 

Such  were  the  life  and  works  of  the  elder  Aldus. 


— 129  — 

tion,  by  Wiley,  of  the  same  work,  with  a 
very  select  set  of  prints ;  bound  by  Braney. 
Also,  another — the  Bagster  edition  of  1815 — 
on  large  paper,  extended  to  four  volumes. 
'This  elegant  reprint  of  the  original  edition  is 
neither  weakened  by  the  extension  of  its 
pages,  nor  is  its  dignity  compromised  by  the 
presence  of  a  single  print  which  is  not  a  gen- 
uine acquisition  to  the  beauty  and  value  of 
the  book.  And  there  is  another  small  copy 
with  one  hundred  and  sixty  prints  of  natural 
scenery,  all  India  proof.  And  yet  another  by 
Major,  large  paper,  edition  of  1844,  illustrated 
up  to  two  corpulent  volumes  by  the  insertion 
of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  prints  in  proof. 
Mr.  Hoe  has  also  illustrated  the  first  octavo 
edition  of  Bagster,  1808;  and  also  the  large 
paper  of  the  same  edition.  They  are  both 
charming  books.  He  has  also  illustrated  the 
Hawkins  edition  of  1760  (first  edition),  ex- 
tending it  to  two  volumes;  also  the  Major 
edition  of  Walton's  Lives.  There  are  some 
others  less  pretentious,  making  in  all  about 
thirty  volumes  of  illustrated  Waltons.  These 
books  are  all  masterpieces  of  private  book 
making.  There  is  not  a  folded  or  impure 
print  in  the  entire  collection,  nor  are  they 
without  ample  margins — the  glory  of  Stoth- 
ard,  Inskip  and  Absalon. 


—  130  — 

And  now,  a  little,  however,  out  of  its 
chronological  order  comes  the  immortal  Bard 
of  Avon — Shakspeare;  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Dyce  edition  1857,  large  paper,  octavo, 
originally  in  six  volumes,  now  extended 
to  twenty-one  by  the  insertion  of  thirteen 
hundred  and  seventy-two  illustrations,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  original  drawings  by 
Cook,  Harding,  Thurston,  Edwards,  and 
others.  I  think  this  book  is  the  greatest 
triumph  of  the  illustrating  art  in  the  collec- 
tion. It  is  a  noble  effort  to  reconstruct  the 
lost  and  the  broken  links  in  the  historical 
record  and  person. il  history  of  this  imperish- 
able man  ;  for  positively  we  know  more  of 
the  personal  history  of  Socrates,  of  Horace, 
of  Cicero,  of  ne,  than  we  do  of  Shak- 

speare. O  that  he  had  had  his  Bos  well ! 

There  is  another  illustrated  Shakspeare  in 
this  collection.  It  is  the  Chalmers  edition, 
royal  octavo,  extended  to  ten  volumes  by 
the  insertion  of  seven  hundred  prints ;  bound 
by  Bedford,  London.  We  have  now  placed 
in  our  hands  the  Life  and  Poetical  Works  of 
John  Milton.  When  Paradise  Lost  came 
out,  Edmund  Waller  wrote  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham  that  the  old  blind  schoolmaster 
had  written  a  book  on  the  Fall  of  Man; 
that  there  was  nothing  remarkable  about  it 


Ml!/. 


. 

/ 


except  its  great  length.  Posterity  has  re- 
versed the  judgment  of  Waller,  by  pro- 
nouncing it  "  the  second  greatest  production 
of  the  human  mind."  There  is  but  little 
doubt,  however,  that  the  halo  enveloping 
Milton  and  the  bold  relief  of  his  position 
was  as  much  owing  to  the  darkness  by  which 
he  was  surrounded  as  to  his  personal  nobility. 
He  was  the  centre  of  a  most  licentious  group. 
The  surroundings  of  a  corrupt  and  obscene 
court,  the  sickening  conceits  of  the  contemp- 
orary Cowley,  and  the  pusillanimous  servility 
of  Waller  had  reduced  the  profession  of  poet 
to  that  of  court  fool.  Milton  nevertheless 
outranked  all  his  contemporaries.  This  book 
is  a  large  paper  by  Pickering,  extended  to 
two  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  two  hundred 
prints,  forty  of  which  are  portraits  of  Milton, 
many  on  India  proof.  But  the  glory  of 
Milton  fades  in  the  transcendent  beauty  of  a 
large-paper  copy  of  the  Life  of  Alexander 
Pope  and  Works,  extended  to  eighteen  vol- 
umes, with  four  hundred  and  fifty-two  por- 
traits and  prints,  besides  fifty-seven  proof 
portraits  of  Pope.  This  magnificent  produc- 
tion, representing  a  period  wholly  within  the 
Golden  Era  of  English  literature,  is  illus- 
trated with  a  portrait  of  every  literary 
man  of  note  who  flourished  in  the  eigh- 


—  132  — 

teenth  century.  Here  is  also  its  comple- 
ment— the  Dunciad,  Song  of  Dulncss.  . 

Poor  Pope !  his  irascibility  gave  him  but 
little  peace  in  life;  believing  himself  traduced 
by  everybody,  he  became  the  vilest  of  tradu- 
cers.  Even  Taine  says  of  the  dead  lion  :  "  He 
was  crafty,  malignant,  and  a  nervous  abortion, 
and  that  all  the  filth  of  literary  life  was  cen- 
tered in  him."  But  Taine  came  too  late  to 
feel  the  lash  from  the  Sublime  Goddess  of 
Literature,  Daughter  of  Chaos,  and  Eternal 
Night.  Pope  at  his  death  left  but  few 
calumnies  unavenged. 

In  this  ornate  wilderness  of  books  and 
prints,  it  is  impossible  to  say  which  particu- 
lar book  or  set  of  books  is  entitled  to  the 
prize  for  excellence  ;  for,  whatever  fascina- 
tion the  last-named  may  possess,  the  next  is 
pretty  certain  to  excel  it.  Another  candi- 
date for  our  favor  is  a  large-paper  copy  of 
Ireland's  Hogarth  (the  Juvenal  of  painters). 
This  was  Ireland's  own  copy,  with  the  origi- 
nal drawings  and  two  hundred  and  seventeen 
duplicate  and  triplicate  prints,  showing  the 
various  unfinished  stages  of  the  engraver's 
process,  which  seems  to  settle  all  former 
questions  of  pre-eminence ;  for,  of  its  kind 
and  character,  it  is  the  ne plus  ultra  of  text- 
books on  the  engraver's  art.  Next,  a  book  of 


MI  C.I. N?  800 


THE 

MONTHLY  MIRROR, 

FOR 

JULY,    1796. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 
OK 

M  US.    SI  1)  DO  X  S. 

(With  a  Portrait.) 


W !  ;•  chara&ers  is  applicable  to  most 

Other  classes  of  the  community,  in  which  rlv  members  have  been  uni- 
formly devoted  to  th  j;ur;»uits.      If  it  be  thought  that  there. 
.;.ity  in  a  studioiu  life  to  supply  many  matt-rials 
for  P,  icill  more  applicable  to  the 
rical   profession.     "   The                    ts   of  a  hero's    life  are  fr< 'in 

•.  to  book."1     The  changes 

in  the  life  of  an  ,  or  from  character  to 

;    but  wh  i  genius   ri-.cs  to  such   a  height  as  to 

ipher,  however 
';ly  augmented,  for  it  must 

be  th,  ;^r  merit  stationary, 

an. I  such  merit  nuu:  /stood,  as  well  as  admired, 

to  admit  ot  additional  comment,  or  novel  information. 

There  cannot  i  r  illustration  of  this  position  than  in  the 

subject  of  our  present  attention,  who  burst  upon  the  world  with  too 
much  radiance  to  be  suffered  to  pursue  a  carter  of  unobstructed  glory. 
The  genius  of  Mrs.  SIDDONS,  as  it  threw  a  cloud  over  all  competi- 
tors, must  ntc  ve  furnished  an  incentive  to  malevolence 
as  well  as'admiration  :  the  one  was  as  eager  to  depreciate  and  defame, 
as  the  other  to  celeb. ••  <  ilt,  and  never,  perhaps,  -have  those 
opposite  interests  been  more  actively  at  work  in  any  other  province  of 
talents  and  of  virtue. 

The  solid  merit  of  Mrs.  Siddons  has,  however,  borne  her  safely 
through  the  extremes  of  obloquy  and  panegyric,  and  the  very  attempts 
of  ENVY  to  lessen  her  character  in  public  and  private  life,  have  only 
served  to  distinguish  her  genius,  and  to  establish  her  reputation.  So 
just  is  the  observation  of  the  elegant  satirist — 

44  For  tn-.y^d  jiiY,  like  SOL  cclips'd,  makes  known 
"  Th'  opposing  todfs  grtssr.cu,  not  its  own. 
"  When  first  that  SUN  too  po-w'rful  teams  displays, 
44  It  draws  up  vapours,  which  obscure  its  rays; 
44  But  e'en  those  clouds  at  last  adorn  its  «wy, 
44  Rerteil  ntw glories,  and  augtitr.t  tht  daj" 
R  Z 


THE    MONTHLY    MIRROR. 


As  therefore  the  recesses  of  private  life  have  been  explored  to 
degrade  or  to  distinguish  the  character  of  our  heroine,  and  as  Malig- 
nity and  Enthusiasm  have  been  equally  zealous  to  discover  and  record 
her  merits  and  defects,  the  biographer  and  the  critic  have  hardly  any 
opportunity  of  making  the  h  so  exhausted  a  field. 

Her  history  is  'ily  known  as  her  talents  are  admired,  and 

indeed  it  would  be  a  sort  of  insult  to  the  public,  to  suppose  it  wanted 
to  be  informed  of  beauties  it  has  so  long  acknowledged,  and  so  stre- 
nuously patronized.  In  pursuance  of  the  plan,  however,  which 
we  adopted  in  this  work,  we  shall  say  a  few  words  as  a  necessary  ac « 
companyment  to  the  engi  .:ch  our  work  may  occasionally 

contain. 

.  SARAH  SIDDONS,  is  the  eldest  offspring  of  Mr.  ROGER 
KEMBLE,  and  his  wife  Sarah,  who  have  always  been  esteemed  in 
private  life,  and  who  in  provincial  theatres  have  obtained  no  incon- 
considerable  degree  of  professional  repute.  Mrs.  Kemble,  who  is 
much  advanced  in  years,  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  WARD,  one  of  the 
last  of  the  BETTERTOMAN  SCHOOL  of  aftois.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  knowledge  and  observation,  and  was  in  his  day  "  accounted  a 
good  aftor,"  nor  is  there  any  reason  to  believe  that  he  did  not  deserve 
;>utation  IK 

Fror.  ..    lite  our  heroine  was  employed  in  } 

company,  and ,  -.  parental  intelligence  much  useful  instruc- 

tion. It  is  evident,  however,  that  Mrs.  Siddons  brought  into  the 
world  with  her  an  understanding  which  was  to  aft  according  to  the 

:tion  of  its  own  light,  and  that  stood  little  in  need  of  auxiliary 
counsel  to  govern  its  pursuits. 

suitable  age  an  attachment  arose  between  Miss  KEMBLE 

and  Mr.  SIODONS,  at  that  time  a  performer  in  her  father's  company. 

We  are  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  particulars  to  determine,  but 

t  we  have  heard  that  a  clandestine  marriage  was 'soon  the  consequence 

of  this  mutual  inclination. 

And  here  it  is  proper  to  observe,  I  KtMBLE  displayed  a 

correcl  judgment  in  the  most  essential  a£l  of  female  life,  for  she  made 
choice  of  a  man  of  probity,  sense,  and  benevolence,  one  who  has  ma- 
naged the  profits  of  her  success  with  liberal  propriety  and  prudence,; 
though  the  unoffending  simplicity,  judgment,  and  rectitude  of  his 
character,  have  not  exempted  him  from  a  share  of  that  detraction 
which  has  been  so  powerfully  excited  by  the  elevated  genius  of  his  wife. 

In  due  time  Mrs.  SIDDONS  became  the  heroine  of  the  Bath  stage, 
and  having  an  opportunity  of  displaying  her  great  talents  in  such  a 
sphere  of  fashionable  resort,  the  transition  to  London,  the  vast  me- 


THE  MONTHLY  MIRROR. 


Our  readers  are  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  our  heroine  has 
done  justice  to  her  own  expressive  features,  and  perhaps  we  ought  to 
apologize  tor  making  use  of  the  offspring  of  her  talents  in  tl. 
without  her  knowledge,  it,  indeed,  it  be  necessary  to  offer  any  excuse 
for  a  /eal  to  give  due  distinction  to  VIRTUE  and  to  GENIUS. 

Adverting  to  the  great  powers  of  Mrs.  SIDDONS  and  the  impos- 
sibility of  giving  posterity  an  adequate  perception  of  ho-  merit,  we 
cannot  forbear  to  conclude  with  the  elegant  and  interesting  lines  of 
the  first  living  comic  writer.  Among  the  professors  of  the  liberal  arU 

"  THE  ACTOR  only  shrink*  from  Time's  award, 

"  Feeble  Tradition  is  his  mem'ry's  guard  ; 

"  By  whose  faint  praise  his  merit  must  abide, 

"  Unvouch'd  by  />r«/,  to  tubstanct  unaJly'd  ! 

"  I'cn  matchless  GARRICK'S  art,  to  heaven  rcsign'd, 

'  ''  " 


tioftjc''de/ett,  no  /nwfr/  leaves  behind. 

41  All  perishable  !  like  the  electric  fire, 

"  But  strike  the  frame,  and  as  they  strike  expire: 

"  Incense  t;«j  pure  a  bodied  Hume  to  bear, 

11  Its  fragrance  charms  the  sense,  and  blends  with  air." 


—  133  — 

which  Lord  Byron  said  :  "  It  is  underrated, 
and  for  two  reasons — first,  its  author  is  a 
nobleman ;  and,  secondly,  he  is  a  gentle- 
man." But,  notwithstanding  Byron,  it  is  a 
book  of  frigid  and  arrogant  conceits.  It  is 
Walpole's  Royal  and  Noble  Authors,  large 
paper,  quarto,  with  duplicate  and  proof 
prints ;  and,  although  a  beautiful  book,  it 
does  not  overshadow  or  detract  from  its 
graceful  successor  —  the  Life  of  Thomas 
Stothard,  the  artist,  by  Mrs.  Bray,  in  one  vol- 
ume, octavo,  extended  to  eight,  royal  quarto, 
by  the  insertion  of  eight  hundred  prints,  all 
artist  proof,  with  drawings  and  sketches  by 
Stothard.  The  text  of  this  book  is  extended. 
It  is  the  only  one  in  the  collection.  And 
thus  we  go  on,  book  after  book — each  suc- 
ceeding one  disputing  the  honors  for  ele- 
gance with  each  preceding  one. 

And,  now,  to  supplement  the  last-named 
graceful  work — Mrs.  Bray's  Stothard — we 
have  the  Life  of  the  accomplished  Mrs.  Sarah 
Siddons,  the  tragic  actress,  the  greatest,  by 
common  consent,  that  England  has  ever  pro- 
duced. This  book  is  a  large  paper,  illus- 
trated to  four  volumes  by  one  hundred  and 
thirty  of  the  most  exquisite  prints,  portraits, 
and  portraits  in  costume  of  this  extraordin- 
ary woman.  This  book  is  a  marvel  of  the  en- 


—  134  — 

graving  art,  blending  the  art  with  the  dramatic. 
There  is  another  copy  of  the  work  in  two 
volumes,  bound  by  David.  We  turn  with 
regrets  from  these  wonderful  volumes  to  a 
wrork  which  would  make  the  heart  of  the  true 
lover  of  the  burin  almost  leap  from  his  body. 
It  is  the  Memoirs  of  Abraham  Raimbach,  an 
English  line  engraver,  and  friend  of  David 
Wilkie.  This  book  is  illustrated  by  one  hun- 
dred of  the  choicest  proof  engravings  of 
Raimbach:  no  such  collection  will  probably 
ever  be  brought  together  again.  It  is  a 
unique  and  captivating  book. 

We  will  now  pass  to  the  realms  of  history ; 
and  here  we  have  first  to  record  Macaulay's 
History  of  England,  in  eight  octavo  volumes, 
large  paper  (Holland),  with  four  hundred 
prints  inserted  ;  Davis'  History  of  Holland, 
in  three  volumes — a  beautiful  and  rare  work, 
with  a  great  many  rare  prints;  Motley's 
Dutch  Republic,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
early  prints  ;  History  of  the  Royal  Academy 
of  Arts,  by  Sandby,  extended  to  three  vol- 
umes ;  Hallam's  Literature  of  Europe,  four 
volumes,  with  four  hundred  early  and  con- 
temporan^ous  prints  ;  Due  de  Saint  Simon's 
Memoirs  Complete,  three  hundred  and  nine 
prints  inserted,  twenty  volumes,  and  bound 
in  crimson  levant  by  Chambolle  Duru  ;  Talle- 


I'ortrnil  (iallnvol'llo^s  Insir-urlni- 


—  135  — 

mant  Des  Reaux,  six  volumes,  small  octavo, 
two  hundred  prints  added;  Saint  Just,  Es- 
says on  the  Spirit  of  the  Revolution.  But 
the  monarch  of  historical  illustrated  works  is 
a  large-paper  octavo  copy  of  the  Blackwood 
edition  of  Alison's  History  of  Europe,  in 
fourteen  volumes,  printed  in  Nichols  types, 
and  extended  to  eighteen  very  thick  volumes 
by  the  insertion  of  over  seventeen  hundred 
illustrations,  original  drawings,  water  colors, 
and  a  great  many  military  costumes  of  the 
periods  (painted).  There  is  not  a  common 
engraving  in  this  entire  work  ;  and  they  be. 
long  to  and  represent  the  art  progress  of 
the  periods  which  they  illustrate,  making  it 
also  a  history  of  the  engraver's  art. 

\Ve  have  now  given  a  complete  and  con- 
tinuous history  of  literature  in  titles  from 
Chaucer  and  the  Canterbury  Tales,  about 
1380  to  1835  ;  and  we  might  go  on  and 
duplicate  and  triplicate  the  result  from  this 
wonderful  collection.  We  have  scarcely  en- 
tered upon  the  work. 

Of  the  illustrated  poets,  I  have  noted,  as 
most  conspicuous  ,  Rogers,  four  volumes ; 
Campbell's  British  Poets,  seven  volumes; 
Byron,  fifteen  volumes;  Gray,  two  editions; 
Cooper,  four  volumes;  Burns,  four  volumes; 
Chaucer,  Dryden,  Akenside,  Somerville, 


Keats,  Thomson,  Cowley,  Goldsmith,  "the 
inspired  idiot,"  two  volumes ;  Moliere,  six 
volumes ;  Beranger,  five  volumes  ;  Corneille, 
twelve  volumes ;  Racine,  six  volumes ;  La 
Fontaine,  seven  volumes ;  Fenelon,  Mon. 
taigne,  Lamartine,  Perrault,  and  many  others. 
Of  unillustrated  works,  Mr.  Hoc  has  a  large 
library;  it  consists  principally  of  general  lit- 
erature; the  specialties  are  on  the  drama, 
with  no  ordinary  editions  and  no  ordinary 
bind: 

But  this  has  already  become  tedious,  as 
all,  even  the  rarest,  things  do.  Madame  Sale. 
after  describing  minutely  the  phenomena  of 
earthquakes  f«»r  eight  successive  days  in  her 
diary,  on  the  ninth  enters,  "  Kartiiquak* 
usual."  No  elaboration  of  language  could 
more  eloquently  reach  the  climax — the  rarest 
of  all  phenomena  had  become  monotonous; 
and  this  arouses  our  apprehension  touching 
illustrated  books.  \\\  shall  therefore  close. 
One  thought  more,  and  we  have  done.  You 
have  observed  a  marked  contrast  in  my 
description  of  the  books  composing  Mr. 
Hoe's  illustrated  library  with  those  of  all 
other  collectors — and  especially  Mr.  Horn's, 
whose  collection  is  composed  of  kindred 
works.  Many  times  they  have  illustrated 
not  only  the  same  authors,  but  the  same 


-:•• 


M<0)ILIIIE1R]R 
(Pocle    dram  all  quo), 

Ne  a  "Paris  le  i5  Janvier  1622  . 
Mort  a  Paris  le  17  Fevrier  167 3 . 


—  137  — 

editions.  The  contrast  is  much  greater  than 
can  be  described.  I  speak  of  their  methods, 
each  having  pursued  his  own.  Mr.  Hoe  is 
implacable,  and  has  despotically  adhered  to 
the  rule  of  illustrating  his  fine  editions  with- 
out building  them  up  to  the  prints. 

Mr.  Horn,  in  his  stately  collection,  has 
pursued  the  other  method,  and  has  inlaid 
the  text  of  nearly  all  his  books,  although 
there  are  some  magnificent  exceptions  to 
this  rule.  For  my  own  part,  I  think  inlaying 
the  text  objectionable,  for  the  following 
reasons :  first,  the  irreparable  loss  of  the 
identity  of  the  orginal  book ;  second,  it 
makes  an  unwieldly  and  cumbersome  volume  ; 
third,  it  occupies  a  great  deal  of  room — an 
important  consideration  in  a  library ;  fourth, 
it  calls  into  requisition  prints  physically  dis- 
qualified from  their  size  for  book  illustrating, 
and  which  should  find  their  resting  place  in 
portfolios. 

These  gentlemen  have  illustrated  few 
books  of  America,  maintaining  that  America 
is  too  limited  in  its  material  for  fine  books. 
This  I  am  not  quite  willing  to  admit,  but 
beg  leave  to  refer  with  pride  to  the  success- 
ful efforts  of  men  of  the  greatest  culture,  as 
Dr.  Emmet,  McKee,  Andrews,  Arnold, 
Moreau,  Jones,  etc.  Yet  I  must  admit  that 


-133- 

there  is  a  charm  about  the  surviving  mem- 
ories of  those  old  times — the  Augustan 

o 

Ages  of  France  and  England — which  have 
been  told  and  retold,  and  written  and  re- 
written by  succeeding  historians  until  they 
have  worn  off  their  grossness.  These  old 
memories  are  like  the  primary  rocks  on  our 
earth,  all  rounded  and  polished,  and  striated 
and  beautified  by  the  slow  attrition  of  the 
secondary  and  tertiary  and  post -tertiary 
over  them,  while  the  more  modern  stand 
out  before  us  in  all  the  rugged  and  un- 
cancelled  deformities  of  recent  upheavals. 
This  last  spectacle  is  that  of  America.  It  is 
to-day  the  busy  workshop  of  civilization; 
the  upheavals  of  the  restless  populations  of 
the  world;  the  entire  rolling  stock  of  hu- 
manity is  being  reinvested  and  remodelled 
and  started  off  afresh  in  the  race  for  empire; 
and  when  a  resting  place  is  reached — when  a 
breathing  opportunity  arrives  for  this  great 
people  to  consider  their  whence  and  their 
hcni\  then  a  value  which  has  no  parallels  in 
the  extravagances  of  the  present  day  will 
invest  in  every  relic,  in  every  scrap  of 
history,  in  every  old  coin,  in  every  por- 
trait, in  every  autograph  which  may  throw 
a  light  backward  upon  their  individual  or 
national  origin.  I  believe  there  is  yet  to 


BRANDT, 


—  139  — 

be  evolved  from  our  civilization  an  avatar, 
an  humanity  as  purely  American  as  the 
Falls  of  Niagara,  an  incarnation  of  art, 
poetry  and  music,  with  a  conception  so 
grand  as  to  embrace  the  entire  American 
life.  And  when  this  does  come,  the  names 
of  Shakspeare,  Pope,  Milton,  Keats,  Car- 
lyle,  Handel,  Haydn,  Mozart,  Mendelssohn, 
Giotto,  Salvator,  Brunet,  Lalanne,  Ruben-, 
and  Meissonier  will  be  placed  before  the 
world  in  brackets. 

I  now  close.  I  have  performed  my  con- 
tract with  the  Rembrandt  Club  to  the  best 
of  my  little  ability.  My  sketch — very  much 
like  a  geological  sketch  made  from  the  win- 
dow of  a  lightning  express  train  while  pass- 
ing over  a  country — may  not,  however,  be 
without  a  few  useful  hints  concerning  the 
strata  about  the  stations. 


Illuminated,    Ornamented*  or    Privately-Illus- 
trated Manuscripts  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  most  ancient  known  miniatures  date 
from  the  very  commencement  of  that  period 
which  is  generally  called  the  Middle  Ages — 
that  is  to  say,  from  the  Third  and  Fourth 
Centuries. 

"  These  paintings,  of  which  there  exist  but 
two  or  three  specimens  in  the  libraries  of 
Europe,  nevertheless  offer,  in  their  correct- 
ness and  masterly  beauty,  the  great  charac- 
teristics of  ancient  art.  The  most  celebrated 
are  those  of  the  "  Virgil,"  fourth  century, 
preserved  in  the  Vatican  Library,  a  manu- 
script long  celebrated  among  learned  men 
for  the  authenticity  of  its  text.  Another 
"  Virgil  "  of  the  date  of  about  a  century  later, 
and  which,  before  its  presentation  to  the  Pope, 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ornaments  of 
the  ancient  library  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Denis, 
in  France,  contains  paintings  not  less  remark- 
able in  respect  of  color,  but  very  inferior  as 
far  as  drawing  and  the  style  of  compositions 
are  concerned.  These  two  incomparable  ex- 


—  142  — 

amples  are  sufficient,  in  themselves,  to  show 
the  state  of  the  painting  of  manuscripts  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  have  left 
us  no  books  with  miniatures  ;  the  utmost  we 
find  at  that  period  are  some  capital  letters, 
embellished  by  caligraphy.  In  the  eighth 
century,  on  the  contrary,  the  ornaments  were 
multiplied,  and  some  rather  elegant  paintings 
can  be  pointed  out ;  the  fact  is,  under  the 
reign  of  Charlemagne,  a  movement  of  renova- 
tion took  place  in  the  arts  as  in  literature. 
The  Latin  writing,  which  had  become  illegi- 
ble, was  reformed,  and  the  style  of  painting 
manuscripts  assumed  something  of  the  form 
of  the  fine  antique  examples  still  extant  at 
that  period.  "  It  was  then  quite  time,"  says 
M.  Aim£  Champollion:Figeac,  that  the  salu- 
tary influence  exercised  by  Charlemagne  made 
itself  felt  in  the  arts  as  well  as  in  letters." 
The  first  manuscripts  which  seem  to  bear 
witness  to  this  progress  are,  first,  a  sacrament- 
ary.  said  to  be  that  of  Gellonius,  the  allegor- 
ical paintings  of  which  are  of  great  interest  in 
the  history  of  Christian  symbolism,  and  a 
Book  of  the  Gospels,  now  in  the  Louvre. 
The  latter  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  great 
emperor  himself.  We  may  mention,  as  of 
the  ninth  century,  many  Books  of  the  Gospels, 
in  one  of  which,  given  by  Louis  le  Debonnaire 
to  the  Abbey  St.  Medard  de  Soissons,  the 
purest  Byzantine  style  shows  itself ;  then  the 
Bible  called  the  Metz  Bible,  in  which  are  paint- 
ings of  large  dimensions  remarkable  for  the 
felicitous  groupings  of  the  figures,  and  for  the 


—  143  — 

beauty  of  the  draperies.  One  of  these  minia- 
tures excites  an  interest  quite  peculiar,  inas- 
much as  King  David,  who  is  represented  in 
it,  is  but  a  copy  of  an  ancient  Apollo,  round 
whom  the  artist  has  personified  Courage,  Jus- 
tice, Prudence,  etc. 

Let  us  mention  still  further  two  Bibles  and 
a  Book  of  Prayers,  the  last  containing  a  very 
fine  portrait  of  the  king,  Charles  the  Bald,  to 
whom  it  belonged  ;  and  lastly,  two  books 
really  worth  attention  on  account  of  the  del- 
icacy and  freedom  of  the  outline  drawings, 
for  the  attitudes  of  the  characters  represented, 
and  for  the  draperies  which  resemble  those  of 
ancient  statues.  These  books  are  a  "  Terence  " 
preserved  in  the  Imperial  Library,  Paris,  num- 
ber 7,899  in  the  catalogue,  and  a  "  Lectionary 
cf  the  Cathedral  of  Metz."  While  in  1-' ranee 
the  art  of  painting  manuscripts  had  progressed 
so  much  as  to  produce  some  perfect  models 
of  delicacy  and  taste,  Germany  had  never  got 
beyond  the  simplest  compositions,  as  we  see 
in  the  "  Paraphrase  on  the  Gospels  "  in  Theo- 
tis£  (the  old  Teutonic  language),  belonging  to 
the  Library  of  Vienna. 

The  artistic  traditions  of  the  ancients  in  the 
ninth  century  are  attested  by  the  manuscripts 
of  Christian  Greece,  whereof  the  Imperial 
Library,  Paris,  possesses  many  magnificent 
specimens,  at  the  head  of  which  we  must 
place  the  "  Commentaries  of  Gregory  Nazi- 
anzus,"  ornamented  with  an  infinite  number 
of  paintings  in  which  all  the  resources  of  an- 
cient art  are  applied  to  the  representation  of 
Christian  subjects.  The  heads  of  the  charac- 


—  144  — 

tcrs  portrayed  are  admirably  expressive,  and 
of  the  finest  style  ;  the  coloring  of  the  minia- 
ture is  warm  and  soft ;  the  costumes,  the  rep- 
resentations of  buildings  and  of  the  accesso- 
ries, offer,  moreover,  very  interesting  subjects 
of  study.  Unfortunately  these  paintings  were 
executed  on  a  very  crumbling  surface,  which 
has  in  many  places  peeled  off ;  it  is  sad  to  see 
one  of  the  most  precious  monuments  of  Greek 
and  Christian  art  in  a  deplorable  state  of  dilap- 
idation. 

The  masterpiece  of  the  tenth  century,  which 
again  is  due  to  the  artists  of  Greece,  is  a 
"  Psalter  with  Commentaries  "  belonging  also 
to  the  Imperial  Library,  a  work  in  which  the 
miniature  painter  seems  not  to  have  been  able 
to  disengage  himself  from  the  Pagan  creeds 
in  illustrating  Biblical  episodes.  Two  cele- 
brated manuscripts  of  the  same  time,  but  ex- 
ecuted in  France,  and  preserved  in  the  same 
collection,  show,  by  the  stiffness  and  incor- 
rectness of  the  drawing,  that  the  impetus  given 
by  the  genius  of  Charlemagne  had  abated  ; 
these  are  the  "  Bible  de  Noailles,"  and  the 
"  Bible  de  St.  Martial,"  of  Limoges. 

To  speak  truly,  if  in  France  there  was  a  de- 
cadency, the  Anglo-Saxon  and  Vistgothk  art- 
ists of  this  period  were  also  very  inferior,  to 
judge  from  a  Latin  Book  of  the  Gospels  of  the 
tenth  century,  painted  in  England  ;  it,  how- 
ever, proves  that  the  art  of  ornamenting  books 
had  degenerated  less  than  that  of  drawing 
the  human  figure.  Another  manuscript  with 
paintings,  called  Visigothic,  containing  the 
Apocalypse  of  St.  John,  gives,  in  its  fantastic 


CHARLEMAGNE 


—  145  — 

ornaments  and  animals,  an  example  of  the 
strange  style  adopted  by  a  certain  school  of 
miniature  painters. 

Germany  now  began  to  improve  in  the  art 
of  painting  miniatures.  It  owed  this  happy 
result  to  the  emigration  of  Greek  artists  who 
came  to  the  German  court  to  take  refuge  from 
the  troubles  of  the  East.  The  pr.  >  com- 

plished  in  this  part  of  Europe  shows  itself  in 
the  drawing  of  the  figures  of  a  German  I 
of  the  Gospels  of  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh 
century,  a  work  very  superior  to  that  of  the 
Teutonic  Book  of  the  Gospels  just  referred  to. 

But  in  France,  to  foreign  invasions  and  to 
misfortunes  of  all  kinds,  which  since  the  death 
of  Charlemagne  had  afflicted  the  country, 
was  added  the  terror  caused  by  the  general 
expectation  that  the  world  wa.i  coming  to  an 
end  at  the  expiration  of  the  first  millennial. 
People  were,  therefore,  otherwise  empl< 
than  in  illustrating  books.  Accordingly,  this 
epoch  is  one  of  the  most  barren  in  religious 
or  other  paintings.  Ornamentation,  however, 
remained  sufficently  good,  although  under 
very  heavy  forms,  as  the  sacramentary  of 
Acthelgar,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Library 
of  Rouen,  shows.  The  decadency,  however, 
seems  to  have  come  to  a  stop  in  France 
toward  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century,  if  we 
judge  of  the  art  from  paintings,  executed  in 
1060,  and  contained  in  a  Latin  manuscript, 
bearing  the  number  818,  in  the  Imperial 
Library. 

In  the  manuscripts  of  the  twelfth  century, 
the  influence  of  the  Crusaders  made  itself 


— 146  — 

already  felt.  At  this  period  the  East  regener- 
ated in  some  sort  the  West  in  all  that  con- 
cerned arts,  sciences  and  literature.  Many 
examples  witness  that  the  painting  of  manu- 
scripts was  not  the  last  to  undergo  this  singu- 
lar transformation.  Everything  the  imagina- 
tion could  invent  of  the  most  fantastic  was 
particularly  brought  into  play  to  give  to  the 
Latin  letters  a  peculiar  character,  imitated, 
moreover,  from  the  ornaments  of  Saracenic 
architecture." 

Many  of  these  illustrated  manuscripts 
were  the  work  of  Byzantine  monks,  of  Con- 
stantinople, of  which  their  monasteries  were 
plundered  during  the  frequent  wars  of  the 
eleventh,  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  and 
they  were  scattered  over  Western  Europe; 
many  fell  into  public  libraries  and  museums, 
and  have  been  amply  described  in  their  cata- 
logues as  Bibliotheque  Imperiale  do  Paris, 
British  Museum  and  Bibliotheque  Royal  of 
Berlin.  A  remarkable  collection  of  these 
manuscripts, — more  noted  for  their  bindings 
than  otherwise,  were  sold  at  auction  in  Lon- 
don, on  the  25th  of  July,  1862.  They  were 
the  private  property  of  M.  Libri.  It  was  the 
largest  private  collection  known.  His  cata- 
logue contained  seven  hundred  and  thirteen 
titles,  and  produced  $57,800.  We  instance 
several  of  them  below  in  catalogue  form. 

First,  a  manuscript  of  Saint  Bonaventura,  in 
binding  of  the  middle  ages,  metal  gilt,  with 
a  border  set  with  precious  stones,  rubies, 
topazs,  emeralds,  etc. — $710.00.  Some  valu- 
able fragments  of  the  Gospels,  from  the 


—  147— 

sixth  century,  in  Uncial  of  great  beauty,  in 
an  enamel  binding  of  the  tenth  century,  or- 
namented with  sculptures — §825.00.  Another 
of  the  tenth  century  with  portraits,  a  bind- 
ing of  metal  gilt,  ornamented  with  enamels 
like  those  of  Limoges,  and  with  figures  in 
relief — $800.00.  Another  of  the  eleventh 
century,  equally  valuable,  with  binding  of 
copper,  enameled,  with  heads  in  relief — $625. 
Another,  of  twelfth  century,  with  figures 
of  pearls  and  precious  stones — $700.00.  The 
binding  on  this  last  manuscript  was  admira- 
ble. It  had  an  image  of  Christ,  in  relief, 
about  a  foot  high  ;  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Gospel  of  St.  John  was  represented  a 
group  of  women  in  Byzantine  costume  of 
the  period. 

lloinili.e  Rariae  et  Vit.ne  Sanctorum,  a 
manuscript  of  the  twelfth  century,  placed  in 
bindings  of  the  tenth  century,  of  metal  gilt, 
precious  stones,  and  cameos— -$575.00. 

Lectionarium,  a  manuscript  ol  the  elev- 
enth or  twelfth  century,  upon  vellum,  in  folio, 
with  lon<^  lines  written  in  red  and  black,  and 
binding  forming  a  diptych  of  carved  ivory, 
ornamented  with  gilt  and  silver  figures,  in  re- 
lief, and  medallions.  In  all  probabilities  the 
medallions  date  from  the  sixth  century.  The 
richness  of  the  work,  the  gilding  lavished 
upon  certain  parts,  the  costumes  of  the  prin- 
cipal figures,  shows  that  this  wonderful  bind- 
ing must  have  been  as  a  precious  gift ;  prob- 
ably from  Justinian  or  some  other  eastern 
emperor  to  churches  of  Rome. — $1,800.00. 

Menologium  Sanctorum,  a  manuscript  of 


the  eleventh  century,  on  vellum,  quarto,  with 
colored  designs,  bound  in  a  rich  cover  of  sil- 
ver gilt,  ornamented  with  enamel,  precious 
stones,  cameos,  etc.,  of  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  centuries. — 495.00. 

Vitae  Sanctorum,  a  manuscript  on  vellum, 
of  the  eleventh  century,  with  a  binding  of 
the  time  of  metal  gilt,  with  ancient  enamels 
— $600.00. 


INDEX 

—01^— 

Illustrated  Books,  Illustrators,    Engravers, 
and  Book-Binders, 


Abington,  Mrs.  Frances 55 

Agnes  Sorel 95 

Akenside,  Mark 135 

Aldegrever,  Henry 80 

Alison's  History  of  Europe 135 

Allan,  John 34,  38,  39,  92 

Amadis  de  Gaul, 108 

Anacreon,  Odes  to 52 

Ancient,  Symbol  Worship 15 

Anderson,  Alexander 61,  92 

Andr6,  Major  John 47,  62,  68,  89,  105 

Andrews,  William  L 43,  56,  103 

Antiquities  of  Southern  Indians 101 

Arnold,  John  H.  V 54 

Arts  of  Design  in  the  U.  S 46 

Asay,  E.  G 48 


—  150  — 

Bain  (binder) 58 

Bancroft's  History  of  the  U.  S 105 

Bannister,  John 60,  73 

Bards  and  Reviewers, 70,  122 

Bartolozzi,  Francis 117,  1  ^."i 

Bartlett,  John  R 41 

Bauzonnet,  George  Trautz 24,  26,  119,  125 

Bedford,  Francis 24,  117,  126,  130 

Before  and  Behind  the  Curtain 72 

U.-hm,    (eng.) 80 

Bellamy,  Anne  G 50 

Bement,  E 105 

Benson,  Captors  of  A ndn' 68 

Bernhard  (binder  • 117,125 

Bernard's  Retro- potions 73 

Beranger 136 

Bertrand  (binder) 07.  1J<> 

Betterton,  Thomas .v> 

Betterton's  History  of  tin-  Stugf 73 

Blennerhasset  Papers 46 

Blooteling.  Al.iuham G7,  125 

Boaden's  Shakspeare  Portraits 120 

Boccaccio's  Decameron 49.  .72,  106 

Boileau.  Nicholas 98 

Booth,  Edwin 57 

Booth's  History  of  New  York 89 

Boyet  (binder) 25 

Bradel  (binder) 24,  126 

Hra.lstreet  (binder) 24,  90,   117 

Braney  (binder) 129 

HP  >wn's  Carpenter's  Hall,  Phil 90 

Brown,  Irving 51 

Brown,  J.  Cart«-r 40 

Brunet,  Jacques  Ch 1  • 

Bunn.  The  Stage 72 

Bunyan,  John VJ 


Burns,  Robert 37,  46,  135 

Burnet,  "My  Ovrn  Times  " 36 

Byron,  George  G.  N 37,  74 

Cabrera.   Ruins  of  an  Ancient  City 15 

Callot  (eng.) 80 

Cambridge,  Book  Rarities  of 120 

Campbell,  Thomas 37 

Canal  Navigation,  Fulton 38 

Capo  (binder) . . ; 24,  117,  125 

Chambers'  Book  of  Days 58,  60 

Charles  II,  Memoirs.  Grammont's 107 

Chatto  on  Wood  Engraving 36 

Chaucer,  Geoffrey 95 

Cheney,  John 17 

Gibber,  Colley 55 

Clarendoii's  Rebellion 45,  87 

Clinton,  DeWitt 46 

Golden,  Cadwallader 46 

Cole,  Hamilton 78  ' 

Confederacy.   Jones 102 

Cooke,  George  F 55,  73 

Cooper's  \J.  S.  Navy 43 

Corneille,  Thomas. .' 136 

Costello's  Early  Poetry  of  France 95 

Cotton,  Charles 118 

Coutts,  "  A  Night  \vi'  Burns  " 68 

Cowley,  Abraham 136 

Cox,  Henry  T. 96 

Cunningham's  Story  of  Nell  Gwynne 58,  107 

Daly,  Augustin 57 

Dance  of  Death 80 

Daniels's  Merrie  England 75 

David(binder) 50,  108,  125,  134 

Davy,  Sir  Humphrey 36 


Dawson  (binder) 24. 

De  Beriot,  Madam 73 

DeCastro,  J N 

Derome,  Jacques  A 24 

Deviera  (eng.) S8 

Dibdin,  Thomas  F 23,  40,  42,  47,  51.  ur, 

Dibdin's  Bibliomania, 33,  79.  120 

"       Biographical  Decameron 49,  120 

Bibliophobia 34 

"       (Continental  and  Northern  Tour 49 

"       Typographical  Antiquarian 34 

Dick,  William  B 69 

Dickens,  (works)  Charles 79 

Charles 72 

Didot,  Ambroise  Firmin 98 

Dietricy,  Joliann  W .  80 

Disoeway's  Churches  of  New  York 93 

Dobree's  Book  of  Death .vj 

Doggett,  Thomas 

Donne,  John 118,  129 

Don  Quixote 98 

Doran's  Annals 48,  61,  62,  69,  74 

Dore,  Gustave  98 

Drury  Lane  Theatre 59 

Dryden,  John 122 

Duff,  Mrs 66 

Dunlap's  American  Stag*- 

Durand,  Asher  B 15 

Duru,  Chambollf 24,  50, 80,  98,  117, 

118,119,  121 125,  134 

Durer,  Albrecht 15.  80 

Duyckinck's  Cyclopaedia 43,  93 

Dyer's  Pompeii 15 

Ebers,  John 74 

Edelink  (eng) 125 


—  153  — 

Emmet,  Thomas  Addis 84,  88,  90 

Everett,  Edward 17,  18,  22,  24,  99 

English  Stage,  History  of 58,  65 

Faber,  J.  Jr 67,70 

Farnum,  Alexander 41 

Faithorne,  William 9,67,125 

Faulkner  (binder) 24 

Fenelon,  Francois 136 

Fielding,  William 49 

Flagellation,  History  of t 95 

Forrest,  Edwin 55,  61 

Fox's  Court  of  James  II 122 

Francis'  Old  New  York 85,  46,  56,  62,  77 

89,  93,  95,  105 

Franklin,  Benjamin 46,  47,  60,  105 

Fraser,  William  A.. 105 

Freneau,  Philip 89 

Freeling,  George  H 87 

Froissart's  Chronicles 94 

Fulton,  Robert 38.46 

Galanteries  des  Rois  de  France 112 

Gait's  Lives  of  the  Players  55 

Garrick,  David 49,  55,  62,  70,  73,  74 

George  III 65,  72,  85 

Georgia,  Rulers  and  Governors  of 101 

Gilsey,  Peter 74 

•  Giraud's  Birds  of  Long  Island 11 

Goelet,  Ogden 75 

Goethe,  John  W.  von 80 

Goldsmith,  Oliver 121 

Gower  and  Chaucer 122 

Granger's  Biographical  History 10,  44,  56 

Greene,  Nathaniel 101 

Greville's  Memoirs      71 

Gray,  Thomas 135 


—  154— 

Grolier  de  Servier,  Joan 9,  27,  82,  117 

Guilford  Court  House 45 

Guild  Curtis 59 

Gwynne,  Nell 40,  59,  67,  73,  74,  96,  107.  121 

Haiday  (bind*-n 117 

Ilallain's  Literature  of  Europe 134 

Ilallec-k,  Fitzgreene 92 

Halliwell,  J.  O 72 

Hall,  A.  Oakey 72 

Hamerton's  Etchings  and  Etchers    75 

Hamilton,  Alexander    77 

Hamilton's  National  Flag 43 

Harvey,  Dr.  William 122 

Hayday  (binder) 50 

Herbert,  George 118 

Henry  IV.,  Reign  of 95 

Hering,  Charles 24 

Hoe,  Robert,  Jr 10,  124 

Hogarth,    William 72.  i:J2 

Holbein,  Hans 122 

Holcroft,  Thomas 55 

Holland,  George 57 

Hollar,  Wenzel 15,  67,  125 

Hollar's  Celebrated  Courtesans 108 

Hooker.  Richard 118 

Horn,  William  T 116 

Homes'  Bibliology 120 

Houbraken,  Jac&b 9,  67,  117 

Inchbald,  Elizabeth 55 

Inskip  (eng.) 129 

Ireland's  New  York  Stage, 48,  55,  57,  61, 

65,66.  71.  78,  77,95 

Irving,  Washington 85,  43,  45,  46,  71,  76,  77,  92 

Irving's  History  of  New  York 35 


—  155  — 

Irving  Memorial 76 

Irving's  Sketch  Book 71,  76 

Irving's  Knickerbockers  New  York 35 

Ivanhoe 95 

Jackman  (eng.) 17 

Jackson,  Andrew 46,  60 

Jameson's  Beauties  of  the  Court  of  Charles  II.  ..  121 

Jeffercon,  Thomas 46 

Johanna  of  Naples 95 

Johannot,  Tony 98 

Johnson,  Samuel 9,  23,  28,  40,  56,  58,  61,  95,  98 

"       Anecdotes  of 122 

Jones,  Charles  C 100 

Jordan,  Dorothea 5o,  73 

Kean,  Charles  J 55 

"    Edmund 55 

Keats,  John 136 

K.'lly,  Hugh 59 

Kemble,  J.  P 50.  55,  62,  73 

"      Charles 55,  62 

Kemp,  W.   H 74 

Knights'  London 98 

"      Worship  of  Priapus 107 

Knowles,  James  S     72 

Koehler  (binder) 24,  125 

La  Fontaine,  Jean 25,  50,  98,  136 

Laniartinc,  Alphonse  de 97,  136 

Lawrence,  T.  W 74 

Lewis,  Charles 24,  34,  38,  42,  126 

Leyden,  Luke  Van 80 

Literature,  The  Pursuit  of 68 

Lincoln,  Abraham 94 

Literature  of  Society 73 


-I56- 

Lombart  (eng.) 67 

Longfellow's  Dante 48 

Lortic  (binder) 2 t.  -Jo.  1  2.1 

Lossing's  Our  Country  93 

Longhi,  Joseph 9 

Malx-rly's  Print  Collector 80 

Macaulay's  History  of  England 71 .  lor, 

i.inald  (binder) 34,4 

Macintosh's  Revolution 1 22 

Ma.  kenzie  (binder) 37,  38 

Mackinlay      "       24 

Ma.  klin's* Bible 58 

Manley.    Tlie  New  Atalantis 110 

Marguerite  de  Navarre 112 

Marrili. -r  (eng.)  98 

Mary  Queen  of  Scots 37,  40,  68 

Matthew*  William.  ...  »,  21.  29,  88,  45,  46,  47,  49,  71, 
78,  99,  105,  117,  118,  119,  12» 

Mat  hews,  Charles 54 

Maryland  Historical  Series 89 

Masson  (eng) 98 

Maud's  Niagara  Falls 93 

Mathias'  Pursuits  of  Literatim- 68 

Mauran.  James  £ 94 

Manson,  A.  S 61 

McKee,  Thomas  J 61 

Menzies,  William 45.  (in.  77 

Milton,  John .72.  122,  130 

Mischief,  The  Royal 112 

Moliero,  Jean  Baptiste 136 

Montaigne,  Michel 136 

Moore's  Diary  of  the  Revolution 94 

Moore,  Thomas 37 

More,  Sir  Thomas 122 

Moreau,  Jean  M 108 


—  157— 

Moreau,  Charles  C 92 

Morghen,  Raphael  S 9,125 

Morrell,  Thomas  H 58,  60,  76 

Morris'  Private  Journal 69 

Motley's  Dutch  Republic 72 

•  Murphy,  Arthur 57 

Nanteuil,  Robert 9,  98 

Napoleon,  Life  of 106 

Naples,  Museum  at 107 

Naunton's  Fragmenta  Regalia 119 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac 12 

New  York  during  the  Revolution •  •     77 

New  York  Stage  from  the  Earliest  Date 93 

Niedree  (binder) 24,  26 

Nodier,  Charles 24 

Old  Book-seller,  Shades  of  an 52 

Oldfield,  Mrs.  Anne 73 

Padeloup,  Antoine  M 25 

Palmer,A.M 59 

Pawson  &  Nicholson  24,  29,  43,  60 

Payne,  John  Howard 63 

Payne,  Roger 24 

Pelton,  Oliver 17 

Pepys  (diary)  Samuel 104 

Perrault,  Charles 136 

Petrarch,  Francisco 95 

Pettigrew's  Egyptian  Mummy 15 

Picart,  (eng.) 67,  98 

Poinier,  J.  W.  Jr 74 

Pope,  Alexander 37,  131 

Pope's  Rape  of  the  Lock 95 

•'      Dunciad 132 

Prescott's  Biographical  Essays 47,  60 

Prescott,  William  H. .  60 


-I58- 

Price,  Stephen  H 74 

Pulaski,  Casimer 101 

Putnam's  Homes  of  American  Authors 56 

Quixote,  Don 96 

Queens  of  Society 73 

Queen  Charlott«- 65 

Rabelais 112 

Racine,  Jean 136 

Raimbach,  Abraham 74 

Ramsey,  Allan 37 

Raoul  (binder) 26 

Raymond,  George 50 

Rejected  Addresses 

Rembrandt,  Paul  G 1,  15,  80, 123 

Rice,  John  A 42 

re,  Robert 24,  as,  50,  55,  60,  98,  126 

Robinson's  Diary 61 

Robinson  Cru.  119 

Rogers,  Samuel .     1 22 

Rousseau,  Jean  J 112 

Rubens,  Peter  Paul 71 

.   Richar.1 94 

Saint  Just  and  the  Revolution 135 

Saint  Simon,  Count  de 80,  134 

Sanderson,  Dr.  Robert 118 

Sanderson's  Signers  of  the  Declaration 44,  46,  84 

Sargent.     Loyalists'  Poetry 90 

Scott,  Gen.  Winfield 43 

Scott,  Sir  TValter 37,  106,  122 

Seigo  of  Savannah,  1770 100 

Seigo  of  Savannah,  1804 101 

Sevigne,  Madame 97 

Sewell,  H.  F 75 


—  159— 

Shakspeare.     Dyce 130 

Halliwell 72 

"  Chalmers 130 

Staunton 73 

Knight 40,  74 

Boydell 90 

Ward's  Statue 68 

Shakspeare,  William 23,  37,  46,  68,  72,  74,  90,  120 

Sharpe  (eng. ) 1 25 

Sheridan,  Richard  B 57,  80 

Siddons,  Mrs.  Sarah 49,  55,  53,  CC,  73 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip 41,  119 

Simier,  (binder) 125 

Smirke,  Robert 98 

Smith,  William -^ 

Smith,  Robert  W 24,  28,  29,  56,  57,  58 

Smollet,  Tobias 49 

Southey ,  Robert 108 

Spence,  Joseph 98 

Spooner's  Dictionary  of  Artists 42,  59,. 71,  75 

Squicr's  Serpent  Symbol 15 

Stiles'  History  of  Brooklyn 13 

Steele,  R.  II.  II 74 

Sterne,  Lawrence 49 

Stothard,  Thomas 54,  104,  106,  118,  119,  125 

Strange,  Sir  Robert 9,  125 

Tallemant  des  Reaux,  Gedeon 134 

Tarlcton's  Campaign 101 

Tarrant,  (binder) 38,  95 

Tate,  Nahum 55 

Tatnall,  Josiah 101 

Taylor's  Recollection  of  Leslie 94 

Taylor's  Bacchus  and  Elucinian  Mysteries 15 

Tenney,  Dr.  Dudley 75 

Thibaron  (binder) 26 


-i6o— 

Thiors  Fn-iirh  Involution 40 

Toedt<  1»  r_r.  Augustus 16,  19,  66 

TomoChi-Chi 1<H 

Tivnt,  George 19 

Trumbull,  John : 

Tuckerman.     The  Cook  45,  79,  93 

TiK-kcrman's  Washington  Portraits 4o 

•  n  hoff,  George 74 

Vanderblanc  (eng.) 67 

Vandyrk,  Anthony ]•» 

Van  Shupfeni .  98 

V«-rk« .lij«-  (eng) 67 

Vrrplanck,  Biographical  Sketch  of 89 

VcKtoo,  Geoiga 67,125 

V.  .ItJiire,  Francis  M.  Arouet  de 87,  108 

108,  109 

Vroom,  D.  G.  W 106 

Vroom,  James 106 

Wallark.  •  

WaljH  .1.-.  Horace :?: 

Wali»ole'8  Painters 46 

Royal  and  Xoblo  Authors D 

Walt  ..     9,36,40,46,48 

96,  105,  117,  118,  119,  126,  12v 

Walton.  I>aa«-   118 

8fa  H.-nrj*  118 

Warrun'-  Ann -rican  Revolution 47 

Washington.    K\«  n  tt 44 

Irving 36,  4<X  41.  43,  44,  45,  60 

-9,  92,  93,  103,  105. 

Washington.     Marshall 40 

Srhroeder 47 

is 46,  77 

Wa>hin.urton  and  His  Generals 88 

Waterloo.  Anthony 80 


Waverley  Novels 49,  106 

Wierix,  Jeng.) 80,  125 

Weldin's  Court  of  James  1 122 

Westall,  Richard 98 

White,  (eng.) 125 

Wight,  Andrew 44 

Wilkie,  David 74 

William  IV 65 

Wits  and  Beaux  of  Society 72 

Wolfe,  James 90 

Woodbury,  John  P 105 

Worde,  Wynken  de 34 

Wright,  (binder) 98 

Wynne.    *>rivate  Libraries  of  New  York 51 

Zaehnsdorf,  Joseph  W 24,  126 

Zouch,  Thomas 118 


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